An attendee wearing a “No Data Center” shirt speaks with another Mercer County community member during a special-called Mercer County Joint Planning and Zoning Commission meeting at the Campbellsville University Harrodsburg Athletic Center in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. Hannah Piedad/The Watchdog

The Mercer County Joint Planning and Zoning Commission held a special called meeting to further discuss a proposed data center that has drawn much criticism from the community.

During the meeting on Tuesday, April 28, Mercer County residents spoke of their concerns about the data center and the commission’s draft ordinance regarding data centers at the Campbellsville University Harrodsburg Athletic Center.

A volunteer with the “We Are Mercer County” organization and lifelong Mercer County resident, Lee Readnower, said there are many unknowns with the proposed data center and that a pause on the project, called a moratorium, would allow for more research and analysis on how the data center may affect the surrounding area and its residents.

“We’re not against the technology or innovation. We know that has to happen in all communities” Readnower said, “But we want a moratorium for this type of project, for any other project like this that comes in our facility, comes in our community.”

Diane Floyd, an educator at Hazard Community and Technical College, said she was concerned about the draft ordinance for a multitude of reasons and that she felt it had “so many shortcomings.”

The data center would consume large amounts of energy, according to Floyd, which could raise utility costs for those living in Mercer County. She said water quality would also be impacted, since data centers use water in cooling processes.

“After they use it to cool their servers, that water is contaminated with heavy metals,” Floyd said. “If they just dump it back into the lake, that’s going to be a huge problem for the wildlife and for the people that actively use that water.”

An attendee reads over a draft ordinance regarding a proposed data center from the Mercer County Joint Planning and Zoning Commission during a special-called meeting at the Campbellsville University Harrodsburg Athletic Center in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. Hannah Piedad/The Watchdog

Data centers could also impact emergency services, property values and agriculture, Floyd said. 

Combatting data center fires would require specialized training for Mercer County’s firefighters, according to Floyd, and property values would drop because close proximity to data centers can make it harder for some to sell their homes.

The proposed data center also violates the tenants of Mercer County’s comprehensive plan, Floyd said, since the plan prioritizes protecting farmland, conserving natural resources and promoting tourism.

Following the comprehensive plan is crucial, Floyd said, not only because it helps represent the community, but also because state law requires it.

According to KRS.100.183, planning commissions must develop a comprehensive plan to serve as a guide for public and private actions and decisions to assure the development of property in the “most appropriate relationships”

“That comprehensive plan tells people from out of the area who want to move into the area what our long term goals are,” Floyd said. “‘It gives people an idea of the character of Mercer County, and what to look forward to in the future.”

Floyd said the Tuesday meeting was unfair, citing the required paper format and time constraints.

The Mercer County Joint Planning and Zoning Commission said written comments that are signed under oath and notarized could be submitted in lieu of testimony or to support testimony and could not be longer than 10 one-sided pages, double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins.

“What happens with that format is it doesn’t leave a lot of space on a page for words,” Floyd said. “It’s easy to read, but you know, it shortens the length of what you’re able to say.”

Mercer County community members listen as Hank Graddy, an attorney, speaks to the Mercer County Joint Planning and Zoning Commission during a special called meeting regarding a proposed data center at the Campbellsville University Harrodsburg Athletic Center in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. Hannah Piedad/The Watchdog

Speakers were given three minutes to state their concerns, with Planning and Zoning Commission members ringing a bell when their time was up.

Community members “only had 14 days” to prepare for the special called meeting once the draft was released, according to Floyd.

Her paper ended up being 30 pages long, and Floyd said she had to break her paper into pieces and find collaborators in order to submit her full paper. 

The Mercer County Planning and Zoning Commission declined to comment at the meeting and did not respond for follow up.

Accessing information has been difficult for Floyd, she said, since individuals allegedly signed nondisclosure agreements, and she has been unable to obtain the names of those individuals through open record requests.

“They flagged it as proprietary information. So how is somebody’s signature proprietary information for building a data center?” Floyd said. “…at the local government, they are stopping citizens from knowing what their plan is, and it is definitely intentional.”

A former teacher at Burgin Independent Schools and current employee at the Kentucky Department of Education, Ronda Devine, said elected officials have not been responsive to community concerns.

According to Devine, Kentucky Rep. Kim King called some of those speaking out “keyboard cowboys,” because they have been writing emails and letters voicing their opposition to the data center.

“I mean, the only thing we can do is send an email, do some research, try to spread the word. That’s what being a community member is,” Devine said. “To have a representative kind of laugh in our face is very disheartening, and so I don’t feel like we’re being heard, and that’s why tonight, to me, is extremely important.”

As a member of the “We Are Mercer County” group, Devine said she hoped to continue spreading information about the proposed data center and to get the word out “before it’s too late.”

“We want to be heard. We want them to understand why we feel the way we feel,” Devine said, “and we want to get that message out to other people, because some people don’t even know.”