Data center proposals are surfacing across the Black Belt, from Lowndes County to Hale and Marengo counties, and the debate has quickly become one of the most divisive local issues in years.
Residents are overwhelmingly opposed. Many county commissioners and city council members are strongly in favor. Into that divide steps Jeff Berry, a Lowndes County resident with 36 years of experience managing and building data centers for major corporations. In an interview, Berry laid out what he believes communities need to understand before approving projects of this scale.
Lowndes County held a public hearing on April 28 about a data center proposal in the Burksville community. Marengo and Hale residents had a meeting on April 30 in Demopolis to hear from environmental groups about a possible data center…