An independent, fully-sourced guide
Data centers, explained: for Pikeville and Eastern Kentucky.
Pikeville is weighing a proposed data center at the Kentucky Enterprise Industrial Park.1 Some neighbors see jobs and investment; others worry about noise, water, and electric bills. Both deserve real answers, not talking points. This site lays out the facts (every claim numbered and linked to its source) so you can make up your own mind.
What’s covered
Pros & Cons: the quick version
The case for and the concerns, topic by topic, on a single page (jobs, bills, water, noise, health, and trust), with links to dig deeper when you want the full evidence.
What's next & how to speak up
Where the process stands right now (what's done, what's promised), plus when the commission meets, how to comment, and how to request public records yourself.
Questions to ask (printable)
A checklist of the specific, sourced questions other towns wish they'd asked before signing, formatted to print and bring to a meeting.
Ideas: leveraging the deal
If the city proceeds, how could it get lasting value? Waste-heat reuse, permanent investment funds that cut taxes, and deal structures that survive ownership changes, each grounded in what another community actually did.
The Basics
What a data center actually is, the different types, from small crypto mines to giant AI campuses, and where a 25–30 MW facility fits on that spectrum.
Noise
Real decibel numbers for cooling fans, generators, and transformers; how sound carries; where data centers have caused noise problems, and where they haven't.
Water
The different cooling system types and the honest numbers: some designs use millions of gallons a day, others use about as much as an office building.
Power & Electric Rates
How much electricity data centers use, and the question that matters most here: do they push rates up or help hold them down? The evidence runs both ways, and the contract terms decide which.
Health Concerns
What's documented, what's alleged but unresolved, and what has no supporting evidence, clearly labeled, with sources.
What Happened in Other Towns
Public opinion polling, towns that said no, towns that said yes, and what each got, from Loudoun County's tax revenue to Granbury's lawsuit.
How this site handles facts
- Every claim is cited. The little numbers like this2 link to a full source list: government reports, peer-reviewed studies, utility filings, and on-the-record journalism.
- Both sides of contested questions are presented. Where the evidence genuinely cuts both ways (like electric rates), you’ll see the strongest documented case for each.
- Claims are labeled by evidence strength. On the health page, every concern is tagged as documented, alleged but unresolved, or lacking evidence.
- No affiliation. This site isn’t funded by or coordinated with the city, the developer, the utility, or any campaign for or against the project.