DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — Some neighbors say a proposed data center would destroy the quaintness of their small community, and they want county commissioners to vote against it.
The project would be built in Winston between Douglasville and Villa Rica in Douglas County.
Some neighbors told Channel 2′s Tom Jones that putting the data center in their community would be a bad move, especially since it would be so close to an elementary school and a park.
“It’s up to the adults to protect these kids,” said Jackie Chestnut said as she watched her grand niece and nephew play in the park.
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She vows to do everything she can to keep a massive data center project from being built.
“They’re gambling with our lives and with the lives of the kids,” she said.
TC Atlanta Development has asked Douglas County to rezone the old Waldrop Farms property to construct two buildings and a substation. Data centers store and manage the data from all of our digital interactions like with phones, tablets and computers.
But Ronnie Chestnut believes data centers are an environmental hazard. He says it will disturb nearby communities with light and noise and bring traffic and destroy the quaintness of his small community.
“We don’t want this running 24 hours a day in our backyard. We’re saying, ‘No, not in our backyard,’” he said.
The company says it is listening to the community and addressing its concerns. It says the project would be sustainable and bring economic, employment and community benefits.
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Jackie Chestnut says she’s not buying it.
“Don’t want it here. It’s not a good fit,” she said.
The company says there will be a 22-acre undisturbed area between the park and the proposed buildings.
It says will bring 200 full-time high-paying jobs after construction. The Chestnuts doubt those numbers.
County commissioners will vote on the re-zoning and the company’s application on Monday.
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