The City of Prichard’s community meeting came to a boiling point Thursday as community members packed into Prichard City Hall to express their frustration and concerns around Project Gateway–the Telegraph Road data center proposal from digital infrastructure company Edged.
Garland Christopher III, an Edged representative, gave a presentation on the project, expressing the necessity of data centers for modern-day technology.
Christopher emphasized Edged’s focus on developing “ultra-efficient, waterless, sustainable data centers,” highlighting its plan to invest $93 million and create 20 jobs.
About 40 minutes into the hour-long meeting, an audience member interrupted Christopher to ask that he speed up his presentation, saying “We need time for people to speak and ask questions…I feel like you’re kind of dragging this and it’s not a fair share of time for everyone.” Her remarks were met with applause.
In response, Prichard Mayor Carletta Davis stepped in to ask audience members to “be quiet and respectful until the end of the presentation.” After rushing through the remainder of the slideshow, Christopher opened the floor for the question and answer portion of the meeting.
Audience members approached the mic with concerns for the environmental, economic, energy, and health impact a data center so close to residents could bring, with many questioning whether Edged’s intentions to invest in the city were genuinely for the community’s benefit.
One community member criticized the company’s promise of new jobs, saying,
“Those twenty jobs that y’all promising ain’t gone stay in Prichard.”
“When it comes down to the community,” he continued, “I think if you really want to make a footprint with these people, you’d invest in our children.”
Though many questions went unanswered, Prichard residents made it clear to both city and Edged representatives that neither have their permission to push the proposal through.
