A tranquil city in Wisconsin has been stirred up by the announcement of a mysterious company planning to establish a $1.6 billion data center on extensive farmland.

Menomonie is facing the largest development plans the historic city has ever seen – and its residents are fighting back.

Renowned for its picturesque scenery and small-town atmosphere, Menomonie might soon host an enormous data center, sparking concerns among residents about the potential depletion of both its beauty and resources.

‘I didn’t have a very good feeling from the get-go; it just left a very uneasy, sick feeling in my stomach,’ resident Dylan Goss said to WEAU. 

Issues emerged when Balloonist LLC proposed transforming 320 acres of land along a highway in Dunn County into a hub for housing computer processors, servers, and other IT infrastructure.

The company itself sparked instant concern, as no one knows who is behind it. 

“Who is this company intending to deplete our resources, drive up electricity prices, consume our water, contaminate our air, and endanger our wildlife?” Goss questioned.

The center would use roughly 75,000 gallons of water each day, according to the City of Menomonie. 

However, the city notes that this development could enhance its credit rating – reducing interest rates and taxes – while generating approximately 1,000 jobs during the construction phase.

Once development is completed, the facility would foster 50 to 75 full-time ‘high paying, six-figure’ jobs.  

The grassy plot Balloonist LLC is eyeing originally belonged to a quaint town called Red Cedar, which neighbors Menomonie. 

With the land belonging to Red Cedar, this proposal could not get approved because it was an agricultural zone. 

But the City of Menomonie, which is home to more than 16,700 residents, found a loophole – petitioning for the annexation and rezoning for the land. 

‘The purpose of the petition is to facilitate the potential development of a data center by Balloonist LLC,’ the City wrote in a July 24 statement. 

About two weeks later, a public hearing was held to discuss the matter, which ultimately ended with the land being transferred to Menomonie’s domain. 

‘Decisions about annexation, rezoning, and development are not taken lightly by the Common Council—or me,’ Menomonie Mayor Randy Knaack said in an August 5 statement. 

‘The public opinions expressed will be in our thoughts as we explore possible development on the property, along with future development opportunities.’

The adopted ordinance does not guarantee Balloonist LLC’s plans will be executed. A a formal proposal for the center must be submitted and approved by the city council.

While proponents of the historic plans have boasted about its potential economic impact, residents are simply not buying it. 

‘Why [is the city council] being so non-transparent with this. It took until the end of August for them to actually get an FAQ out about this, and the FAQ’s that they did throw out is minimal,’ Goss asked. 

A Facebook group called Stop the Menomonie Data Center was started to ‘save our city’ from the plans that critics say will invite chaos to the quiet city.

‘Data centers do not belong in rural America. Why not use the blighted inner cities to build these behemoths and create jobs for inner city people,’ one group member, Dog Meier, posted on Monday. 

City Councilwoman Sydney Brennan has spoken out on the matter. As someone who voted in favor of the rezoning, she believes the community should give the plans a chance. 

She also claimed the reason no one knows who is behind the plans is to ‘protect both the company and the city during early negotiations. 

‘Currently, neither the council nor the public has been told who the company behind this project is,’ she wrote, adding the city administrator had signed an NDA with the developer. 

Regardless, a Change.org petition with more than 1,000 signatures has also been launched to hinder the proposal from inching any closer to becoming a reality. 

‘We refuse to let this project proceed without full public accountability, independent environmental review, and proof it will serve our community, not just corporate profit,’ it reads. 

‘Menomonie’s land, water, and future belong to the people, not to hidden investors or distant shareholders.’