Dozens of people packed a Mishicot restaurant to voice their opposition toward an artificial intelligence data center being built in the area, Jan. 26, 2026. PC: Fox 11 Online
WRIGHTSTOWN, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Hours of discussion took place in Wrightstown Tuesday as residents expressed their concerns about the possibility of a data center being built.
Community members gathered at the village’s municipal office for a public listening session.
“We are here to say, ‘Stop it before it starts’ because we want to know what we’re getting ourselves into,” environmental advocate Andi Rich said.
Most residents spoke out against the idea of a data center, saying they are worried about what it would do to their community.
“I pay for the community, I pay for the schools, I pay for the small-town charm. That’s what we want. We don’t want no big data center as a sore thumb in our community,” one Wrightstown resident said.
Many of the concerns expressed by residents centered around noise, water usage, loss of farmland and power consumption.
People in attendance at Tuesday’s discussion also said they think the village isn’t being fully transparent with its residents about the data center issue.
“It seems like they’ve already made up their mind that they want the data center, and instead of hearing our point of view and making informed decisions based on the residents, they’re trying to force their opinions down our throat and say, ‘This is why we’re going through with it and this is what it’s going to be,'” Brittanie Platkowski of Kaukauna said.
Community members believe Cloverleaf Infrastructure is targeting land behind Wrightstown High School, between Shanty Road and County D.
While most residents Tuesday said they are against a data center coming to Wrightstown, the village’s administration said there is no official plan in place to build one.
“Even today, there is no proposals or even informal proposals on the table. We have nothing. We’re merely trying to respond to all the rumors that are flying around on social media,” Wrightstown Village Administrator Travis Coenen said.
Coenen said Cloverleaf Infrastructure reached out to the village in January, asking about zoning for a data center. He said he told the company Wrightstown does not necessarily have the zoning or the land mass for something like that. He emphasized the village is still in the informational process and no decisions have been made.
Cloverleaf has previously said data centers can bring strong economic benefits to communities, including construction jobs and jobs inside the data centers. It has also tried to dispel rumors about high water consumption and increased energy rates caused by data centers.
Cloverleaf did confirm it is still open to a data center project in Wrightstown.
Residents said they would like to see the village enact a moratorium on data centers to allow for more time to put regulations in place. Coenen said that decision would be up to the Village Board.
More discussion on data centers is expected at another village board meeting Tuesday night. The village also plans to hold more open house listening sessions in the coming weeks at the Village of Wrightstown Municipal Offices:
- May 26 from 4-7 p.m.
- May 31 from 2-6 p.m.
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