Discussion of Hermantown Data Center at City Hall Meeting

On October 20th of 2025, the sight of driving up to Hermantown's city hall was an unusual sight at the typical town meeting. Police cruisers blocked off entrances to the parking lot, signs proclaiming the lot to be full. Cars lined the street for thousands of feet; my car was parked roughly a half a mile down the road. A line of picketers seething at the possibility of a data center going up in Hermantown.

The building's access was restricted, and fire marshals did what was necessary to maximize the audience without risking the safety of attendees. To maximize space for attendees, an overflow room was set aside for onlookers upon the event, speakers, and some journalists given priority access to the main room.  

The riled audience in the overflow room created a rowdy atmosphere. Emotion could be heard in the cheers and jeers of the crowd, depending on the speaker and position taken. The main council room, while a tad more tame, still saw claps, jeers, and heckles, only to a lesser degree. The temperature was up.

Less than a month before the rezoning meeting, Hermantown released the environmental review for the proposed data center on September 24th. The review done by the unnamed Fortune 50 corporation was called into question by Dr. Christine Gallup. A professor of environmental science here at UMD, Gallup observed that the AUAR (Alternative Urban Areawide Review) done for this project was "deficient in what it was supposed to find by the Minnesota statute," meaning that the council “did not have sufficient evidence” to make the decision that night.

Some residents of Hermantown believed a datacenter to be fine, but that the proposed location in the backyards of residents was inappropriate. Tim Resburg, a local farmer, said of the data centers location that "That's going to affect a lot of people, that is no light business” adding that “I’m pretty sure along highway 53, there's a lot of zoning there. Is that with all the other stores, manufacturing places there? Why doesn't the rezoning and that all go over there?” to the council. 

There is worry about the Magnetic Frequencies that would be emitted, stating that it would be “harmful to people, harmful to animals, causes osteoporosis, dementia, there's a lot of research on EMFs,” from Rocci Mondine Russo, a resident of Hermantown who works in AI.

The period of public input came to a close, and it was time for the council to make its decision. The mayor floated in a joking and slightly annoyed tone that “we can resume the meeting tomorrow,” and an uproar arose from the attendees, multiple hecklers jeering that the council just wanted to get around looking their neighbors in the face. The council caved, and a roll call came about… Councilors Peterson, Jelly, Lewis, and Mayor Bush all voted Aye, no councilor chipping in a Nay, affirming the rezone of rural residential land by a margin of 4-0.

The mood as people left was that of leaving Church on Good Friday, or a funeral. Silence ensued as people exiled the building to trudge home in the dark silence, but just as the lore goes with Good Friday, the story is yet to end…