Secrecy, Data Centers, and Déjà Vu: Has Warren County Learned Nothing?

The opinion piece authored by Mr. McCool couldn’t have come at a better time. Transparency in Warren County government has been slipping for years, and once again, residents are being asked to trust decisions made behind closed doors.

When former officials declared that “anything involving the EDA is secret,” it set a tone that still haunts this county. Add to that a power plant we get no power from, paying reduced taxes, and it’s no surprise that many residents now assume county business is conducted under a veil of secrecy.

We are now told the County Attorney is “protecting the County” by shutting down groundwater legislation that could have safeguarded our water supply. Protecting whom, exactly? The citizens of Warren County, or out-of-town developers selling data centers?

We’ve seen this before. During the EDA fiasco, the County Attorney represented both the County and the EDA until public pressure mounted and he walked away. Lessons were never learned. Big money talks, and transparency suffers.

Once again, the story begins quietly. An expensive out-of-town lawyer meets with eager town and county leaders. We’re promised everything: no noise, no water problems, millions in taxes, and “lots of jobs.” The hook is set.

Soon after, well regulations are revised. Concerns about small businesses are brushed aside. Then, almost on cue, the EDA announces a “compelling” proposal, this time from a data center developer tied to Provident Realty Advisors—on the old AVTEX site. From first meeting to property sale: barely two months.

Across the country, communities are fighting data centers over water depletion, noise pollution, and massive power demands. Ashburn residents live with a constant hum and rattling windows. Yet here, we’re told not to worry. “Air conditioners will be inside the building.” That’s not reassurance, that’s gaslighting.

Meanwhile, Dominion Energy is proposing massive new transmission lines costing hundreds of millions of dollars, slicing through farms, neighborhoods, and parks. Health concerns from high-voltage lines are still being studied, but we already see and hear their effects locally.

Jobs? The Winchester data centers employ fewer than half a dozen people. The rest is automated or remote.

Water? We are in a sustained drought. The Shenandoah River is critically low. Groundwater recharge is failing. Yet the town is already obligated to supply tens of thousands of gallons of water daily to a power plant—at reduced rates—and now warehouses and data centers want more. When the water runs out, who gets cut off? Citizens, or corporations backed by lawyers?

Fire departments nationwide struggle to handle data center fires, which involve toxic smoke and hazardous materials. Infrastructure isn’t ready. Neither is the community.

We were promised tax riches before, too. The power plant paid nothing for years and still pays reduced taxes. Why build it here to send power to New York? The same question applies now.

Drive along I-81 and look at the skyline: windowless boxes, industrial blight, and another eyesore towering over town. Why add more?

Selling the AVTEX site isn’t the problem. Doing it in secrecy is. We still don’t know who truly owns these data centers, shielded by layers of LLCs. We don’t know the real costs. We don’t know the long-term consequences.

Yes, the fix feels in.

It’s time for the Board of Supervisors to clean house, slow down, and conduct public business in public—before Warren County is dragged into another nightmare.

Fritz Schwartz
Warren County, VA

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