Around two dozen community members discussed concerns and penned letters to local officials Tuesday night about a proposed data center in Springdale.
Hearings for the center have been ogoing for several months, but a final vote to approve or reject the project is expected on Dec. 16.
Organized by local environmental groups including Protect PT, Tuesday night’s meeting marked the second time community members and environmental groups gathered at From Italy Pizza to plan their opposition to the center.
Protect PT was formed in Penn Township to oppose drilling operations there before expanding throughout the region to weigh in on sensitive environmental projects.
The first meeting drew out around 100 attendees, but Tuesday’s “Letters and Lasagna” saw a slimmer turnout.
Springdale resident Cathy Mager said she’s concerned about noise emitting from the center and air pollution from diesel generators, which require frequent testing.
She was disappointed more of her neighbors didn’t come out to the meeting.
“It’s a shame only this many people showed up,” Mager said. “It feels like we’re giving up too soon.”
Despite the modest turnout, Phoebe Reese, one of the organizers, said those that did show up are likely to drive more interest in the community ahead of council’s vote next week.
Reese is a director at the Breathe Project, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit focused on air quality. She spoke to attendees about the center’s potential effects not only on Springdale but surrounding communities, including O’Hara, where she lives.
“I think there’s strong community engagement,” she said. “I think the residents are sharp.”
Sarra Bridges, of the nonprofit Environmental Health Project, offered a dispersion map of potential pollutants from the site. Based on wind and weather data, the map showed pollutants could reach as far as Brackenridge, Lower Burrell and Penn Hills.
She said, however, that her group had not yet modeled the amount of emissions the site could produce.
Carole Brennan has lived in Springdale for more than 50 years.
With projects like the Pittsburgh Mills in the back of her mind, she said she’s wary of developers’ promises when it comes to the data center.
She said she has environmental concerns about the project, especially in the hometown of famed conservationist Rachel Carson.
“I think it’s an insult to Rachel Carson,” Brennan said. “It’s a good thing she was cremated or she’d be rolling in her grave.”
The center’s proximity to homes, she said, also leaves her worried.
“If these neighbors have a good pitching arm, they could hit the data center,” she said.
Community members are planning the third in a series of protests outside the proposed site of the center on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to resident Matt Lang.
Reese also said environmental groups and residents plan to gather outside the Springdale Borough Building on Dec. 16, prior to council’s vote, for a rally and press conference.