Hermantown's Google data center meeting moved to Friday following protests

The city of Hermantown has rescheduled a City Council meeting for Friday at 6:30 p.m. to vote on several key agreements for a controversial Google data center proposed in northeast Minnesota near Duluth.

The new date and time come after Hermantown officials canceled a Monday meeting following two hours of loud chanting and protests from data center opponents outside the City Council chambers. Afterwards, city officials said there was no way to continue that meeting safely.

The city initially rescheduled the meeting for Tuesday night. Then officials canceled that meeting as well amid concerns that it could interfere with early voting that takes place in the council chambers.

The Friday night meeting will be streamed online to allow residents to watch, an option that hasn’t been available for previous meetings. But in-person attendance will be limited to the first 85 visitors in the council chambers, “per the Fire Department,” according to the city’s press release announcing the rescheduled meeting.

Hermantown residents will have the option to submit comments to the council ahead of time. But verbal public comment will be limited to visitors in the council chambers.

According to the council meeting agenda, a training room down the hall from the council chambers that has been used as an overflow room with room for hundreds of people during past meetings will not be available this time.

“The link for the virtual meeting is being provided in lieu of the Training Center Room which is unavailable in order for the maximum amount of public to be allowed to observe the meeting, and the written comment allows the maximum number of people to share their comments,” the council meeting agenda states.

Stop the Hermantown Data Center, a grassroots group opposing the project, has repeatedly criticized the city for not holding council meetings at larger venues when it anticipates large crowds.

“There seems to be a lot of confusion as to why the city would double down on their attempts to limit the public process and limit the public engagement here,” said Sarah Lofald, a Hermantown resident and board member of the group.

“The city has been trying to push this idea that they are trying to engage the public and are transparent in their dealings,” Lofald added. “This is the exact opposite of that.”

Protests began Monday just before the council meeting was scheduled to begin. Many people were still in line outside the chambers, waiting to register for a chance to speak to the council, when city officials stopped allowing more people to sign up.

Data center opponents began chanting “Let us speak!” That evolved into chants of “Shut it down!” Protesters then sat down on the floor, where they remained, chanting, for two hours, until city officials announced the meeting was canceled and the police chief gave the public 10 minutes to leave.

Google is seeking to build a 1.7 million-square-foot data center on more than 200 acres in a rural area of Hermantown. The computer servers would be housed in three enormous buildings, each of which would cover an area the size of more than six football fields. The first phase of the project would cost an estimated $650 million.

The tech giant has made a number of concessions in recent weeks. The company dropped its pursuit of up to $80 million in property tax breaks in exchange for making the investment. The city and St. Louis County say the project is expected to generate $210 million in tax revenue over 20 years.

Google has also agreed to monitor groundwater and impacts on nearby wells and reimburse homeowners for any negative impacts. The company has also committed to a plan to pay for the decommissioning of the data center if it’s abandoned for any reason. Google officials say it would be the first agreement of its kind for the company.

The project has struck a raw nerve among many Hermantown residents, who have raised concerns about the data center’s massive energy and water needs, as well as light and noise pollution. They’ve also expressed outrage over the secretive way in which the data center proposal was developed, as several city officials signed nondisclosure agreements, keeping residents in the dark. It’s even prompted some to enter the political fray and run for local office.

Supporters and opponents of the massive proposed project have packed recent council meetings. Business and labor groups who back it for the hundreds of construction jobs and tax revenue it would create wear green T-shirts. Opponents wear red shirts. Some stand in line for hours hoping to secure one of the few seats in the council chambers.

On Friday, council members are poised to vote on a series of resolutions, including the approval of a special use permit and development and decommissioning agreements.

Those are the final major local approvals the project needs. But it still faces three lawsuits that could derail it. State utility regulators also need to approve an agreement with Minnesota Power to supply the facility with the massive amount of electricity it needs to operate.

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