Sentinel Reporter

sbolger@lewistownsentinel.com

GRANVILLE — Nearly 200 residents attended a Granville Township meeting Monday morning, raising concerns about a rumored data center project and questioning why township supervisors were not informed about an April meeting involving representatives connected to the potential development.

The standing-room-only crowd filled the township building and spilled outside, where many residents were unable to enter because of fire code limits. Township officials said only about 45 people could be accommodated inside the meeting room, leaving most attendees outside. Township police were present as emotions occasionally boiled over during the nearly four-hour meeting.

At the center of the discussion was an April 15 meeting involving representatives of the Mifflin County Municipal Authority, Granville Township officials, the township engineer, consultants with Stratus One, an economic development consulting firm affiliated with former state Sen. Jake Corman, and representatives associated with the potential data center project.

Supervisor Terry Stewart said he and the township’s other elected supervisors were not informed about the meeting beforehand.

According to Stewart, several individuals were aware of discussions regarding a potential data center for 19 days before supervisors learned about them.

“We did not know about it,” Stewart said, adding that he received information regarding the potential project only minutes before a previous township meeting.

Assistant Secretary/Treasurer Ashley Bratton said the April 15 gathering was a routine meeting used to discuss zoning and land-use questions with township engineers.

No preliminary subdivision or land development plan has been submitted to Granville Township, officials emphasized throughout the meeting.

Residents repeatedly questioned township officials about what was discussed during the April meeting and whether plans for a data center were advancing without public knowledge.

Earlier in the meeting, supervisors voted to terminate the township’s agreement with Mosebey Law and appoint attorney Frederick Lighty as township solicitor.

Lighty was hired shortly before discussion of the potential data center began. The change follows the cancellation of a previously scheduled township planning meeting after officials said they unexpectedly found themselves in need of new legal representation.

Several residents questioned whether the township had the legal tools necessary to regulate a potential data center project. Supervisors said securing new counsel and pursuing a data center ordinance were among their immediate priorities.

Lighty said he is already working on a data center ordinance and believes the township still has time to act because no preliminary plan has been filed.

He explained that under Pennsylvania’s Municipalities Planning Code, municipalities must provide for various land uses but may adopt regulations governing where and how those uses occur.

Lighty said he intends to draft the strongest ordinance permitted under the law and noted that any ordinance adopted before a preliminary plan is filed would govern how a future proposal is reviewed.

He said adopting regulations now is important because the township currently lacks data center-specific standards.

The meeting also focused heavily on water usage and utility capacity.

Craig Bubb of the Mifflin County Municipal Authority confirmed that representatives associated with the potential project asked whether the authority could meet the water needs of a future facility.

However, Bubb said no formal request has been submitted and the authority does not know how much water a facility might require.

Bubb said the authority has the capacity to treat approximately 6 million gallons of water per day and is currently producing about 2.8 million gallons per day.

“If they come in and say they need 3 million gallons of water a day, we can’t do it,” Bubb said.

Bubb explained that the authority cannot arbitrarily deny service to a legal customer if sufficient capacity exists.

“If we have the capacity to serve a customer, we are required to serve them,” he said.

At the same time, Bubb stressed that any request would have to meet regulatory requirements and that no application has been filed.

“But we’re not there yet because no plan has been shown,” Bubb said.

Questions about electricity usage were raised by Tyler Fida, vice president of procurement and human resources at Standard Steel in Burnham.

Fida said the company’s electric arc furnace relies on a stable power supply and expressed concern that a large-scale data center could place additional strain on the regional electric grid.

“The efficiency of these types of furnaces is highly dependent on a steady and stable incoming power supply,” Fida said.

Fida said Standard Steel has discussed the issue with Penelec and believes existing infrastructure would be unable to support the electrical demands of a hyperscale data center.

He said disruptions to power quality could increase the company’s operating costs and affect competitiveness.

“For nearly 200 years, Standard Steel has been a public pillar for Mifflin County,” Fida said, noting the company employs nearly 600 people and contributes more than $100 million annually to the local economy.

Bubb noted that Standard Steel is the municipal authority’s largest water customer, using approximately 250,000 gallons per day.

Township engineer Brian Bloom and Granville Township Sewer Department representative Travis Hartzler also addressed the April 15 meeting. They said roadway impacts were discussed and that representatives associated with the potential project indicated they would be responsible for repairing any damage caused during construction and paying for roadway improvements related to the project.

Residents asked supervisors whether they would support a legally defensible data center ordinance if one is presented for adoption. All three supervisors responded that they would.

Vice Chairman Joe Fiore rejected suggestions that supervisors had supported a data center proposal and said elected officials learned of the discussions at roughly the same time as the public.

“Terry and I did not know any more than the people out here. Two meetings were held without us,” Fiore said.

Chairman William Page also faced repeated questions from residents regarding his position.

Page said he initially remained neutral because he wanted to learn more about data centers before taking a position.

“I was neutral on this. I knew nothing about data centers or how they worked,” Page said.

Page said he later researched the issue and toured a data center at Penn State. Residents argued that facility was significantly different from the type of artificial intelligence-related facility they fear could be proposed in Granville Township.

By the conclusion of the meeting, Page told residents he would not support the potential data center project.

Lighty said the ordinance process will include public review and advertised meetings. Supervisors said future meetings on the issue will be held at a larger venue and are expected to take place during evening hours to allow greater public participation.

No date for the next special meeting had been announced as of Monday.