By Jordan Wilcox
Assistant Publisher
Pushback against proposed data centers continued in Dorr Township this weekend, as the local Facebook group “Dorr Township MI – We the People” hosted a Saturday meeting with lawmakers, residents, and industrial experts who believe Microsoft’s proposed area data center would significantly impact the township’s rural farming community.
The meeting was held at St. Mary’s Catholic Visitation Parish, located at 2459 146th Ave. SW, and drew nearly 100 attendees. Among them was outspoken data center opponent Paula Caltrider, who said she became involved in the Dorr Township issue after learning that a similar proposal would threaten her family’s farm in Mason, Michigan. During her remarks, Caltrider outlined how she and her neighbors were able to largely halt that project, though she noted the fight is far from over.
“We’re going to save Pure Michigan,” Caltrider said. “We’ll go to every town. We’ll go to every council. We’ll speak up.”
Following Caltrider’s remarks, Jim DeSana (R–MI–29) addressed the crowd, followed by Joseph Fox (R–MI–101). DeSana described proposed data center developments as a “scam,” arguing that billionaires and large technology companies receive tax breaks while local residents are left to deal with increased water use, higher electric bills, constant noise, and declining property values.
“Who’s going to want to buy your house if you live within a half mile to a mile of a data center?” DeSana asked. “They’re going to say, ‘I’m going to go up to the next township.’ It’s going to affect your market value.”
DeSana also said that while companies often cite carbon sequestration and closed-loop water cooling systems as environmentally friendly measures, those systems are rarely implemented as described.
Later in the meeting, two industrial hygienists addressed the audience, sharing concerns about the potential health and environmental risks associated with data centers. They predicted that companies could abandon above-ground facilities in the future in favor of underground operations, leaving small communities responsible for costly cleanup efforts.
Several other speakers took the podium as well, but the message remained largely consistent throughout the meeting. Attendees said they were unwilling to sacrifice home values, health, water resources, peace and quiet, and affordable electricity so that outside corporations could profit from the state’s natural resources.
When asked for comment by multiple media outlets, Microsoft directed inquiries to its online blog post titled “Building Community-First AI Infrastructure,” which outlines the company’s five-point plan to partner with local communities while developing data centers across the United States.
The Dorr Township Board has also invited residents to attend an upcoming “Microsoft Workshop,” scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 5, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the township complex, located at 1683 142nd Ave. Additional information about the workshop and the proposed data center is available under the “Public Notices” section of the township’s website at https://www.dorrtownshipmi.gov/.
