Hobart resident Alice Pawlowski came armed with a notebook filled with questions at Amazon’s data center community open house held at Hobart High School. Some but not all her questions received answers.
“It started out cold but got a little better…. Still, there were too many questions they couldn’t answer,” Pawlowski said.
Pawlowski, who has been an active member of the No Data Center Hobart group, was among dozens of residents who attended the open house hosted by Amazon on Thursday.
The open house, held in the school’s Great Hall, was lined with booths paired with Amazon experts with topics that included environment, workforce development, acoustics, water and what a data center is.
Scott Eckhardt, principal economic development for Amazon Web Services (AWS), said he was excited to be at the open house and able to answer questions about the project.
“We want this to be done right and that’s why the project is so important,” Eckhardt said.
He pointed to the tech experts and key partners, including NIPSCO and the Northwest Indiana Forum, who had booths at the open house.
Pamphlets, with Amazon Data Center overviews, including water and energy usage, were also available to those in attendance.
Eckhardt said that AWS has already obtained fill permits for acreage at Colorado Street and 61st Avenue, and earthwork and site preparation have started.
He said the project goes before the Hobart Plan Commission on May 7 and if plans are approved, the foundation could be started in the summer with construction to follow.
Plans for the tech center include the construction of 23 data center buildings, at 220,000 square feet each, according to Kiko Smith, design manager for AWS.
That doesn’t include other buildings at the site, such as a central administration building, Smith said.
Hobart Mayor Josh Huddlestun in a news release issued in late November announced plans by Amazon Web Services to invest $15 billion in the city of Hobart.
The announcement was followed by continued remonstrances by the No Data Centers group and lawsuits filed challenging the data center plans.
Not everyone was pleased with Eckhardt’s welcoming comments at the open house.
Albina Venegas-Roman, whose house is located across the street from the proposed data center, told Eckhardt, “I don’t want it in the back of my yard. Would you like it in the back of your yard? You just don’t care.”
“Give us a chance to be a good neighbor,” Eckhardt responded.
Molly Arroyo, a Hobart school administrator, said she sold her home right around the new year after Huddlestun announced plans for the Amazon data center.
Arroyo and her family have since moved to Valparaiso.
“We were the first to sell in all three of the subdivisions, including Amber Creek, Deep River Estates and Eagle Creek, and I’m not proud of that,” she said.
Arroyo’s former Amber Creek home is one of three residential subdivisions located on 61st Avenue and across the street from the proposed data center.
“We lived there 12 years,” Arroyo said, adding, “We fully feel we were pushed out of the community.”
Hobart resident Clark Corey came to the event with his sister, Tricia Corey, to get some answers about the data center.
Tricia Corey said her biggest concerns have to do with the center’s effect on well water, which is what she has at her home in the 7200 block of Colorado Street.
“I tried questioning them about contaminants in the water,” Corey said.
Clark Corey said he hopes that the project will be stopped until all questions are answered.
“They are rushing this through,” Corey said.
Josh Weissman, director of capacity delivery for Amazon, said his group, despite some criticism from residents, made their presentation in the manner it did to allow for more transparency, with one-on-one discussions.
He said many of the conversations he had had on Thursday were positive and he was able to clear up some misconceptions.
“I think that there are a lot of misconceptions,” Weissman said.
Angelita Soriano, one of the No Data Center Hobart group leaders and one of four residents who has issued lawsuits against the project, also came armed with several questions.
Some, but not all, of her questions were answered.
“I feel like this should have happened before moving dirt and before money was given to the city from Amazon. This open house is something that should have been done before any approval was made. They made a good effort to be transparent, but it’s hard to trust the transparency when money has already been exchanged,” she said.
“Overall, there was some clarity, but I left with more questions and concerns, especially about water usage,” she said.
The Plan Commission, at its 6:30 p.m. meeting on May 7, will hold public hearings for a proposed data center request from attorney Todd Leeth for 168 acres at 61st Avenue and Arizona Street.
Leeth is seeking a zone change from R-1 to M-1 and a site plan review.
The Plan Commission is also holding a public hearing for a request from Langan Engineering & Environmental Services on a proposed data center known as Hobart Tech Park, south of 61st Avenue, east of Colorado Street and north of 69th Avenue.
The request is for a site plan and a 1-lot subdivision.
Deborah Laverty is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
