Council - Regular Meeting

loved ones or friends that you give them comfort. We thank you for our law enforcement and the military and all of our emergency responders and we pray for their safety as they go about their duties. And we just pray for guidance, wisdom, knowledge, and discernment as we go through this meeting. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. You may be seated.

All right. Next on the agenda is a time for public comments. Uh before opening the floor for that, let me share some uh expectations from decor from our ordinances on decorum. Uh the speaker shall come to our table here where the microphone is and give your name and your address. The speaker should conduct themselves in a professional and respectful manner. All remarks should be directed to me the mayor and presiding officer and not to individuals, council members, staff or citizens in attendance. The speaker at no time will be allowed to defame, intimidate, make personal affronts, use profanity or make threats of violence. and the speaker will have a maximum of three minutes to speak and we will have a time device for you to follow. Uh the rules for our public members of the public the audience shall not engage in any of the following uh during our meeting. Shouting unruly behavior, distracting side conversations, clapping or speaking out when another person is talking. uh no defamation, intimidation, personal affronts, profanity or threats of violence, and no behavior that disrupts the orderly conduct of our meeting. So, at this time, is there anyone present who would like to come forward to provide public comments? Yes, sir. My name is Zach Martin. I live at 740 Old Centerpoint Road. Um, mayor, council members, thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. My name is Zach Martin. I live at seven. I've lived there for about two years,

but my connection to Centerpoint goes much deeper than that. Grow those weekends were spent outdoors on the land, forming a bond with this place that never left me. Learning to respect it, care for Center Point has always been generations deep. As I grow older, I learned more about our heritage on the family farm that dates back to the 1800s. and the community my great-g grandandmother Iva Levens helped build and that her husband Cecil helped farm. This land wasn't just where my family lived. It's where they worked rather Judy Fur. It was her love for this community. It's people and the land that brought us all together. That love I'm not here because I'm anti-technology and I'm not here to attack the city council, anyone involved in the process. I'm here because I believe there's places where certain developments simply do not belong and rural generational land like this is one of them. Gone. It's gone for good. You cannot recreate the history, the farms or the family that have cared for it for generations. My concern is power and the presidents set for the future of Centerpoint. There are many families near this site whose history runs just as deep as mine and they will deserve to be considered. Go on record in clear opposition to the proposed data center at this location. Please do not let the council that please do not be the council that trades generations of land, heritage, and community for a project that simply does not belong here. Thank you for your time and I appreciate the opportunity to be heard.

Thank you, sir. Anyone else? Yes, sir.

So, my name is Hugh Bass. I live at 180 Smoke R Drive in Carolton. Thank you all for your time tonight. I am here to speak in opposition of the proposed data center. I'm not going to be redundant with what Zach's just said. We agree with him totally. I am in the Bass family. Grew up on a farm there. Our family has a large tract of land out there. We have five families who still live on the farm. I have a brother who owns land that is adjacent to this land the data center is on. So this is the Bass family. Would y'all stand up if you're a bass? So raise your hands. So we are highly opposed to this data center. It would change the character of Center Point forever. Never in a million years could have thought that we'd be up here dealing with an industrial proposal for land in Center Point. But thank you.

Thank you.

Me and my family reside at 623 Centerpoint Road. Uh my wife and I are fourth generation and my sons are fifth generation live on the land that we live on now. Uh my family goes back to the mid 1900s living in this community and uh like I said, not to keep beating a dead horse, but I I uh agree with Mr. Martin wholeheartedly. Nothing against anybody here in this room or anybody trying to better themselves in any kind of way, but there's places that these places belong and Centerpoint community ain't it. Thank y'all for your time and the ability to speak tonight.

Thank you.

Hey, good evening. My name is Reed Morris. I live on 251 Old Centerpoint Road. Uh Mr. Brnner was my public speaking teacher. How's it going y'all? Thanks so much for your time. Um, and like like Zach said, I don't want to reinstate too much, but I'm uh I can trace my family history back to the West Georgia area as far as I can. We've um farmed the same farm for about four generations. Whole family lives in the neighborhood in the Centerpoint area. I'm here to speak in opposition of the data center. Um, you know, like like Zach said, I'm not anti-growth. I'm not anti-technology, but I think there's so many more ways that would be better for the community to put the land, you know, and you know, I've even heard arguments made that they would rather see the data center over a residential neighborhood. And I think one thing to consider is how a data center would affect real estate values in the area. And also, we know the long-term effects of residential communities, but we don't know the long-term effects of data centers. We don't know how it's going to affect our power, our water, our runoff, our light and noise pollution. Um, my fourth generation family farm, the p the property line is 400 yards from the property where this will be developed if it goes forward. And so, uh, we just like y'all to really strongly consider not letting that go through. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Next.

My name is Blake Presnol. We um currently farm several uh a couple hundred acres in Center Point. Address, please. Um 582 Levens Road. Thank you.

So 582 Levens Road is where our farm shop is. My brother uh lives next to it. My parents live on the other side of him, which is directly across from where the proposed data center would be. Um, we've been fortunate enough that uh some of the members of the community have allowed us to manage or rent some of their land. Some of it being the Bass family, some of it being the Levens family. Um, we set roots down. We're longtime, we're lifetime Carol County residents, but we just uh we just feel that Carol County is a great uh a great anti-growth as some of the other gentlemen have spoke. But I just wanted to sit up here and I'm not to be redundant on what they've stated. Zach did a good job. Um, Mr. Hub Bass did a great job. But thank you. Thank you for that. [snorts]

Next,

our brother, my son Brandon, all three are right directly across from the proposed north site. Uh, so we're we'll be looking at the project for sever about 35 years. and I have been heavily involved with the construction of the number of data centers. Uh primarily the one on Thornton Road is the project that never ends. Uh I think I started on that project in 2005 and it is just one building right after another. Uh there's currently two or three large projects going on there now that have just started over the last several months. And it is a the construction project you would never believe. Uh it's just unescribable the effects the construction of this project may have. I'm not sure what's going to happen once it's all done and complete. But I'm telling you it's going to be a tough five or 10 years while this project is being built. So I just wanted to voice that because I don't think nobody here's ever been to a data spring project and it uh creates a little bit of money working on these. So next.

Hi, I'm Natalie Nickel. I from my front door. Past that fence on the dead end street is where the proposed lines for the center to be built. I know that you said you weren't going to speak about it tonight, but I think it's kind of clear that everybody here wants it to be on record that we don't want it at our road or anywhere in this area. Um my we got my kids here because I couldn't find anybody to sit them. But um our road is very quiet. It is maps. Um it just it's a nice place and my family's concern is that if that data center gets put down there, the water consumption that's gonna from it is going to take away from our sleep. My husband's a fireman. He already doesn't get great sleep. Having the light pollution from there being in our basically back door is not going to be conducive to him sleeping when we're at home. So our family's concerned it about our lifestyle there. We chose to live on that dead end street because it's things for us. Thanks.

My name is Angie Matthews. I live at 15 to be just you weren't going to just My brother uh sister and her my brother uh sister and her husband live our grandkids husband live our grandkids. You just don't that nobody You just don't that nobody of a thing it is but we're a small of a thing it is but we're a small community. It's a hometown community. [clears throat] It's rural community. It's a hometown community. It's rural land. It's farming land. And it is rural land. It's farming land. And it is it's generations of families. Point Road, I promise you, you see us out with kids playing in the yards every single day. Playing in the yards every single day. Um I just want to strongly um I just want to strongly show that we're hugely and we know that there's rural farm home have to deal home have to deal with all that we don't even know with all that we don't even know that those data centers propose so that those data centers propose. So, I just want to go on record saying that

I I just want to go on record saying that I can speak for everybody in our family at that area that we're hugely opposed this. Thank you. Next.

My name is Anna Bass. My name is Anna Bass Curtis. I and my husband own Curtis. I and my husband own farmland at 25. Sorry, what is it? My parents live there. Next door is my sister, her husband. Next door is my sister, her husband, and their six kids. And they live in our grandpa and their six kids. And they live in our grandparents home that my dad helped build across the street from the home that they grew up in. Right next door to Right next door to my uncle's house. right next door to my my uncle's house, right next door to my aunt's house, and right down the road from my my aunt's house, and right down the road from my cousin's house. Only farmland that was founded in 18ish farmers and nations of people. And this is not the only story in Center Point that is like this. Most of the families that is like this. Most of the families there, the Levvens, the Mcookans, you know, there the Levvens, the Magukans, you know, it it's farmland, these forests. It it's farmland, these forests. County, we know that it's not good for animals. Right now, we see deer. My dad sits at his living room window and watches 10 deer to his living room window and watches 10 deer to 15 deer every single morning go about their get turned off. But it affects these animals. Look at any massive industrial park that's required to have these lightings. There is still a huge glow and you lose the night sky. That's something that we have always in Carolton, Carol County, and Temple are tied to the Centerpoint community. It's historic. We have memories through the family of these right across from the Catholic Church that she helped helped found. Her burial site is there. This is a very historic place. And you know, I could go on and on, but I just want to say so thank you.

Thank you. Next. Next.

Talk a lot longer than three minutes about data centers. Mr. My name is Keith Carr. I live at 1142 Old 1142 Old Muse Road. I spoke here a few weeks ago. One of my sons Road. I spoke here a few weeks ago. Uh, one of my sons lives over here. Uh, there's a lot of controversy about that, but the data center is about 100 times worse than this light industrial park. Mr. President said he worked at a lot of them. Uh, I've retired seven years almost seven years ago, and I've been back working for Georgia Power for the last a little over two years now. And I've been going to all the data centers around Metro. There probably not a one I haven't been going to. They've hired me back as a in a safety role. So, I've been to all of them. If you could only see what it takes to build them, you would even be more would even be more set dead set against them. They're uh Temple and I don't know if these answers have been said. We voiced this before. I don't see how Temple has the infrastructure. One of the guys that got up and spoke before mentioned the water when they when Donny's house burned over there that they didn't even have the water pressure, the significant water pressure for the fire hydrants. Y'all remember that? If you don't have the water pressure for a fire hydrant, how in the world where you gonna have the water for to support something like this? That's one question. There's one exit at Temple. It's already backed up in the afternoon from I20 getting into town. You'd have to put an exit at Venable Road right there on down here near Venible Road. You'd have to put another exit on Leven Road to even support the infrastructure to get in and out to do the construction. The equipment it takes to build these things is is is massive. It's uh and they and they're not they don't build them overnight. One of that size over there, it would take several years to get it completed. Uh and as somebody else said, the noise pollution, those transformers hum, they they give off a they give off a noise all around the buildings. They have to

have big HVA system HVA system to system systems to keep those servers co. It'd be a constant noise. Not it'd be a drone all the time if you live next door. And if you think this light industrial part would decrease your property values,

that was a drop in a bucket. what this would decrease your property values if at all probably affect people Hugh Bask could say it's about it would probably affect people's property values within at least a few miles around around it more significantly than this light industrial park y'all are want to put on the Carol House and county line over here um I I work for the power company and I guess you could say well why why wouldn't you be for it but because it's going to be make you you're more profitable Uh, I don't I I'm would be dead set against it because if I got two two sons that got property adjacent to it, right alongside one longer, I probably my time's out. Thank you. Next.

Got your wish or not? I don't know. Well, we'll see. Uh, my name is Kenneth Farmer. Say it again, please. Kenneth Farmer. Okay. Um, I have property that actually joins. Uh, address, please. Address

1765 Center Point Road, 1816 Centerpoint Road, 578 Old Centerpoint Road, and more on Center Point that I'm not going to give the addresses right now. Let's move on. Um, of course this project here, it really should have never been brought this far. If anybody knows anything about the law, we have to abide by certain rules and regulations just like the city, the Carol County government. Um, we have to abide by what the state law is to do some of this annexation and stuff. And I understand that. I hope that people I'm going to be a jerk about this. I know. And the reason I say that I've spoke with a couple of people today. I told them I was going to come and basically uh I'm not going to be, you know, upfront yet, but I'm going to say it like this. There'll be litigation about this. I can assure you. I mean, putting the government on notice that there's going to be a lawsuit, whether it's verbal or in writing and all that. We understand what's got to be done. The Centerpoint people, we basically want to be left alone. We don't need a data center. We're not ready for it. Don't know that anybody will ever be ready for it. But I'd like to say this. If the city is annexing property and it's got to be continuous, we got an issue with what we call a federal highway I20. It's not county owned. It's not stateowned. It's not city- owned. If we divided the property and I understand the owners of the property, they acquired the property in 57. I understand I20 come through there after that. We understand that. We don't know. You know, I'm I'm haven't done the

research to find out when and where. I mean, easements are one things, but when the government's buying right away versus, you know, buying land, they're not given easements for interstates to go through. So, if you got land on the north side of 20 and land on the south side of 20, there's quite a bit of difference in it joining and being continuous. So, I'll say this. I think that they need to find another place to build this data center. And I would hope that y'all will pass it on and let them know that, you know, there's going to be a little bit more to it than all these people here tonight. This is just a drop in the bucket from what I'm seeing and what I'm hearing. I didn't see any no data signs out in front of this building here. So, I'm not saying y'all are for it, but I'm just saying the signs are coming everywhere, and like I said, people can only do so much right now.

Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else?

Hi, my name is Cara Bass Harbin. Um, I live at 2851 Mandavville Road. Uh, I live in my grandparents home. I grew up staying out there with them. Um, going out there almost every weekend. I have a large larger family than even this. Um, my husband and I are raising six children out there where I grew up. And that land and that experience is their inheritance. And that's the legacy that is being left. And if it is turned into a data center, what does that say about us? What kind of growth do we really want? If you want to grow your town or your area, that makes perfect sense. But the way that you do it matters. How carefully you do it, the way you consider the impacts matters. And it says a lot about your legacy. And I think this is not well thought out if it goes through. I think it is not careful. I think it does not consider the long-term growth of this area because a lot of us will want to leave. My kids won't want to come back. Their inheritance will mean nothing to them at that point. Um, I'm watching houses slowly go up and smaller tracks of land have families start showing back up. a lot of them that are from this area or have ties to this area. And it does not happen quickly, but it is happening. We've watched it happen just on our road. There's several new builds, normal, good families, nice homes on larger residential tracks. So, it is happening. There is still growth. So, we're not anti-growth. Obviously, I have a huge family. Um, but the way that we go about it, I feel, is extremely important. and the legacy that we leave the next generation needs to be heavily

considered. [clears throat] That's my point of view and it matters a lot to me because of how many little humans I'm raising that I really want to want to stay here and raise their families here and continue their lives out here. Thank you.

My name is Michael Harris. I live at 411 Oak Grove Road. Um, our land, the back side of our land backs up to Center Point. Um, our family has lived on the land since the 40s. My parents, sister, and uncle all live on my great granddad's farmland. We have livestock on it now. Um, I work in the data center industry for the past 15 years. Um, I've worked on many of the sites at Lithia Springs. I'm building a data center now. And I mean, that is how I make my living, but I strongly do not want one here in my backyard. I can only building that's there. There'll be many more to come. Um, but I think it's terrible for the environment. Um, you know, I worry about our livestock. They the way we our cows get water is through the creek that runs from that side of the road. So yeah, but strongly against it.

All right. Thank you. Next.

Hello. Uh [clears throat] I'm Amanda Whitlock. I live at 2775 Mandeville Road. I come on behalf of my elderly neighbors who are in so many of my neighbors speak and um you're in a community that before I moved out to this area of Carol County, I did not purchase my meat here. I did not purchase my eggs here. You a grand agricultural growth out there that is just phenomenally feeding my family. Um I moved uh back out to this area for this reason. Um, I commute like most of my neighbors who all work outside of car Carol Carroll County. We all commute back to home where I think I'm in a area [clears throat] of four firefighters, multiple police and uh first responders and we come out here for the sanctity of the land and the atmosphere. Um, I live I mean I work five days a week in an area that is completely full of light litter is what we call it and growth beyond the infrastructure that huge areas have built without proper planning and padded pockets unfortunately. But I'm here to tell you that I we all oppose and I wish we all could have been here tonight and we'll be better prepared when it comes uh next grow, but I wanted to make sure that my road was taken into account that we strongly oppose this. Thank you.

Thank you. Next. My name is Ryan Barnett. Say it again, please.

My name is Ryan Barnett. I live at 248 Stage Coach Pass, so not in the direct vicinity of the data center. I apologize. I didn't really plan on anything because I didn't know about this until about 30 minutes ago, but I deal with data centers all across the country, large hospitals. Um, I can tell you that a data center of this size is going to take tens if not 100 plus megawatts of power daily. Uh not to mention as gentlemen was talking about with the water consumption, you can expect most likely 5 million gallons of water consumption a day if they use evaporative cooling which I don't think we have the infrastructure for. Our lakes are already low. Um so if they do use that kind of technology because it's cheap. Um I mean we're you're going to expect water pressure to go down considerably. Uh not to mention who's going to pay for the infrastructure is probably us. I mean, they're not going to pay anything until, you know, they start paying the bills, which isn't going to be soon. Um, I understand data centers are going to be in the somewhere. They should put it next plant Bowen. They got all the infrastructure right there. Lands cleared out already. That's a good spot for it. Not in our little community that Lithia Springs and Douglasville turning into mini Atlanta. Um, if they go decide to go with a closed loop system for their water cooling, you can expect them to use different pas chemicals, uh, different ethyl glycols, uh, contaminants. Same thing that's in your radiator in your car. So, if they do have any kind of leak, that's going to go right into our water supply. Um, I mean, you might think that's not going to happen here. It happened in Rome with the GE power plant. you know, they're still dealing with PCBs even to this day. Uh, you know, I don't know how many folks got cancer of all kinds of different, you know, methods there. I mean, they're pouring it around their houses because they were told it was safe and it wasn't any problems. I'm

sorry. I know I'm kind of getting off topic there, but it's it's this isn't something that we want we have in Atlanta. They can put it in. They can be they can keep that to themselves. Sorry. That's that's it.

All right. Thank you. next. All right, we thank you for your public comments and uh we'll move to the next item on the agenda and that is the approval [clears throat] of the published agenda with one amendment uh under new business item one uh which just came up in the committee's meeting the selection consider selection of a new engineering firm Carter and what and removal of number 10 because they hadn't seen the audit, right? And and removal of item 10 on the consent agenda.

And Richard moved it. Okay. All right. Oh, well, they're pretty quiet. Pretty quiet. Go ahead. Anybody? What's your pleasure on the agenda? I make a motion to accept the agendas. Okay. With the amendments. All right. Yes. Second second questions. All in favor let it be known by saying I. All right I any 12 2026 council city council meeting. Motion to approve the January 12th minutes.

Second. Any discussion? All in favor let it be known by saying I. I. Any oppose the same sign? Motion carries 30. Uh announcements, Miss Jacobson. Uh just one announcement that and um training.

Okay. Thank you. All right. That will bring us to the [clears throat] consent agenda. First, is there any desire from council to remove any additional items from the consent the replacement of diffusers for SB number two tank and number one as needed with funding from the fiscal year 26 capital budget. Number two, authorize staff to proceed with the upgrade to the city hall server funded from the fiscal year 26 capital budget not to exceed 35,000.

Not to exceed 35,000. Please make that addition. [cough] All right. Number three, approve the resubmission of the request for proposals for the temple records to annex parcel number [clears throat] 01170039B located on US Highway 78 into the city of Temple from Harelson County. Item five, authorize the purchase of blower motor number two for the SB tanks along with a backup motor for number three. Number six, approve the purchase of a tractor with B batwing mower fical year 26 capital budget. Number seven, authorize public works director Josh Smith to proceed with the Centerpoint Paving Project through Carol Countyy's road maintenance department not to exceed 145,000 with dollars with funding from the fiscal year 26 capital budget. Number eight, adopt a resolution for the city of Temple's participation in the Harleston County Tesplast Intergovernmental Agreement. Number nine, authorize Mayor Johnson to sign the engagement letter for Will Robinson LLC to a resolution for Temple's renewal commitment as a city of civility. I hear a motion to approve the consent agenda.

Make a motion we approve the consent agenda. May I just add one more thing? Sorry. to number um five. You need we need to specify operating fund 14,000 200 200 per pump. Yes. Thank you. I'll second. All right. Motion and second. Motion by Mr. Bracknel. Seconded by Miss Miller. Any discussion? All in favor saying I. I. Any oppose the same sign? Well, it's a consent agenda, so you wouldn't have any opposition, right?

Okay. So, next is new business. Vote for city engineering services. I'm sure that was talked about. Yes, sir. Greg Ashworth has moved from turnup seed. Turnup seed did a wonderful job for us over the years. Um, and while mayor said it very nicely, how did you say that, Mayor? Well, I said turnup seed has treated us very well, but Greg has treated treated us even better and he make a motion we go with Carter and Slope. Second. All right. Motion by Miss Miller, seconded by Mr. Walden. All in fotion carries 30. Uh, closing comments. Mr. Bratnel. None.

Miss Miller. Sorry about being late. Mr. Wal, no. None, sir. All right. Uh, we do have executive session for legal purposes, but there will be no action after we come out of executive session to come back in here for adjournment. So, do I hear a motion to go into executive session? Make that motion. Second. Motion carries 30 to go into executive session. And I reiterate will be no action other than adjournment when we conclude executive session. [clears throat]

And thanks for coming.