The serene community of Kendall County Illinois, a place many of us proudly call home, two looming projects threaten to destroy our peaceful community forever. Project Steel and Project Cardinal have been proposed to bring massive data centers to our beloved town.   As a resident of Kendall County, these proposed intrusive data centers will forever impact and negatively affect the environment, eco system, wildlife, as well as quality of life for ourselves and future generations.  I implore you to make a difference and sign this petition to stop Yorkville counsel and Mayor from forever negatively changing our community; and altering the charming unique community we call home.

Water Usage: These data centers consume enormous amounts of water.  Draining the local water reserves, that could otherwise serve the local community, and the delicate local ecosystem. 

• Average water-cooled Data Centers could use 20.5 million gal/day.  Project Steel  and Project Cardinal  are estimated  to use 40 million gallons of water daily between the the two once completed. 

 

• One building in the proposed Project Cardinal, of which there are 14, will use the equivalent of 1500 houses' water per day.

 

• Yorkville, in 2028 when Lake Michigan water comes online,; will be receiving ONLY 2.5 million gal/day.

 

• There are numerous stories of wells drying up, and dirty water for what water  is remaining.  

Electrical Usage Increase:  Data centers will greatly impact and change the local communities electrical demand.  

• A need for increased infrastructure for the electrical demand, meaning higher costs for residents.

 

• By the year 2028 data centers nationally will consume 12% of all electricity.

 

• Project Cardinal will be an 1800 megawatt data farm, and will use enough electricity to power 1.4 million homes. 

Noise Pollution: Data centers exacerbate health and safety concerns. The presence of these facilities will lead to increased noise pollution, substantially altering the peace and quiet we've come to value.  Altering sleep patterns and overall peace. 

• Each of the building will have its own cooling system, a large commercial grade HVAC system on the roof.  Imagine standing next to your residential HVAC unit in your home times 19 for one project.  Times 38 for both projects; and the noise that will produce.

 

• Water-cooled Data Centers though quieter than air-cooled, still emanate a higher frequency CONSTANT hum.

 

• The hum will be heard up to 10 MILES AWAY, so if it is not across the street from you.  You will still hear it.

Infrastructure demands:  Our local community will see a significant increase in demands on our overall infrastructure. These projects require robust electrical grids and roads capable of handling excessive loads. Local reports from Quincy, Washington, where several data centers are nestled, reveal the city's struggle with maintaining infrastructure under financial burdens far exceeding their budget. This translates to increased costs for residents, as we'll inevitably see spikes in city billing to manage these new stresses on our infrastructure.

• Project Cardinal will have 1000-1500 tradesmen per day on the site, plus their vehicles and all the construction equipment, Redi-mix trucks, 20-ton aggregate trucks, panel trucks, hundreds of steel trucks, 150' high cranes, PLUS possibly up to 7300 miles of fiber optic cable.

 

• Neither of the projects have done a construction traffic study to see overall feasibility of such a project and traffic patterns and impact. 

 

• Keep in mind that Route 47 is going under construction soon, so traffic will be a nightmare. 

 

• Project Cardinal is estimating 1-2 buildings built per phase, with 14 buildings total.  Each building will take approx.  2 years to complete, making the total buildout lasting 20 YEARS

 

• If the developer Pioneer Development LLC, registered in WY goes bankrupt, that's it - Pioneer Assets does not have to refill the coffers of the LLC 

Impact on Wildlife, Eco-system and Animals:  The data centers will impact the wildlife and alter the eco-system and animals such as dogs and cats.  

• The constant noise and hum from data centers will cause stress in wildlife and animals. Dogs hear 10 times better then humans imagine the impact on your pet.

 

• Studies show that Data centers lead birds to abandon the areas that Data centers are located,  Insects stop mating calls and animals avoid areas where data centers are located.   

 

• The data centers will negatively impact and affect the aquatic ecosystem and the animals that depend on them.

 

• Kendall County  Yorkville Council  has not done any photometric plans or wild life assessments to see the overall impact.

 

• There has been no threatened or endangered species investigation for the site or surrounding areas 

Yorkville and Kendall County should not bear the burden  of unplanned and overwhelming development. We must take a stand now to protect our community from the consequences that have raised alarm bells in cities across the nation. By signing this petition, you support safeguarding Kendall county Yorkville's natural resources, ensuring our health and safety, and holding corporate developers accountable to our community standards.

 

Though our use for data continues to expand; the location for the data centers is in industrial parks near highways, away from residential communities and wildlife.  Not taking much needed farmland and in the middle of the community of Yorkville/Kendall County.

 

The fact is we do not know enough about the impact on our health; the noise and light pollution is determinate, but the overall long term health impact is unknown.  The impact of water usage and changes, constant noise and light pollution will greatly diminish the quality of life and could potentially contribute to serious disease. 

 

Please I implore you to  sign this petition.   Make your voice heard and join me in urging our local authorities to prioritize our lives and those of future generations and overall the health and sustainability of Yorkville over incongruous corporate interests. Let's ensure that Yorkville remains a gem within Illinois that future generations will treasure as much as we do today.