Questions remain after dueling meetings for Springdale data center proposal

The latest episode of data center discussions in Springdale may have raised more questions than answers Wednesday night.

Locals gathered at From Italy Pizza for a packed open forum with environmental groups to organize the community, while developers fielded questions and revealed new details a half-mile away in the Springdale Borough Building’s gymnasium. The meetings drew more than 100 residents.

At the community conclave, residents heard a presentation from local environmental group Protect PT, which initially formed in Penn Township, Westmoreland County, to oppose drilling operations there before expanding throughout the region to weigh in on sensitive environmental projects.

But during a sometimes rowdy, informal back-and-forth discussion, attendees confronted a fundamental question: should the community oppose the center outright or accept it and work to craft beneficial conditions to place on developers?

Sharon Spirk, a Springdale resident who has been present at several previous meetings, opted for the former option but seemed skeptical that locals could ultimately oppose the project.

“Are we up against a brick wall? I mean, I feel like we are,” she said. “I don’t feel like we’re getting the truth. I feel like we’re sinking, and I don’t know who to call.”

If the community is hoping to block the project entirely, Protect PT Community Advocate Jim Cirilano said their best bet is the Zoning Hearing Board rejecting requested variances for the center, which would likely disrupt developers’ plans.

Members of the the board still haven’t issued a decision on a half-dozen variances after wrapping up testimony last month.

But others, like Cheswick resident Michael Montgomery, said the community would be better served by attempting to craft stringent conditions on the developers to ensure potential issues arising from the project are mitigated.

“If we can’t stop it, we have to put things in place that give our residents the best chance to have the healthiest environment moving forward,” Montgomery said.

Still, several residents continued to express worries about the center’s potential effects on the electrical grid, water resources and the local environment.

Springdale Township resident Erin Auvil worries the community would ultimately become a “guinea pig” ahead of more potential data centers throughout the region.

Though the meeting stemmed from a push by Springdale resident Marty Garrigan, Protect PT, among other environmental organizations, took the lead in organizing it.

Garrigan said he hopes Wednesday’s meeting is not the last time the community gathers, and he felt the meeting progressed “really well.”

Down the road at the borough gym, Brian Regli, a consultant for land developer Allegheny DC Property Co., fielded questions and offered remarks for about four hours.

Several locals at the community meeting migrated to the developers’ Q&A, which occasionally led to tense, or outright hostile, exchanges.

Among other well-worn topics, Regli and sound expert Jeff Babich presented the results of a noise study. It tested the current ambient noise of areas around the center as well as projected noise the complex would generate.

Babich said the maximum expected noise on especially demanding days would be 57 decibels, something like a refrigerator hum, on Pittsburgh Street. On most occasions, its levels would be lower, however, and well below the borough maximum of 85 decibels.

Regli also discussed constructing potential aesthetic noise shields on the building and natural landscaping near Duquesne Avenue to mitigate sound.

After the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission passed a tentative tariff last week for large-load users on the electric grid, Regli said developers are also considering constructing some on-site power generation for times of peak energy demand.

That could look like battery storage, natural gas, geothermal or solar power, but Regli said the center would still rely on the region’s electric grid for the vast majority of its energy. The on-site generation could be activated to take strain off the grid and avoid additional charges from electrical transmitters during peak demand, he said.

Also involved in the energy and technology industries, Montgomery questioned how fast the project could come together if it were approved.

Regli said ideally the center would initially go online within two to two and a half years. But the consultant told TribLive it could ultimately take three and a half to five years.

“I am hopeful that we get a ‘yes’ for conditional use. Many of you may not be hopeful for that outcome,” Regli said to the gathered crowd. “If that outcome occurs — we get a ‘yes’ on conditional use — I am hopeful you guys keep showing up. These are conversations that are really valuable.”

Since the meetings weren’t part of a formal hearing, neither moved the project forward, however.

Springdale’s Planning Commission will reconvene on Monday at 6:30 p.m. to potentially offer its recommendation to borough council to approve or reject the project as well as recommend conditions.

But it’s ultimately up to the council to make a decision.

That body reconvenes at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 24. to continue expert testimony.