Penn Forest residents are rallying against a data center proposed on Route 903 and Maury Road.

During public comment at the board of supervisors meeting Ashleigh Davis asked if she could go to polling sites to gather signatures for a petition against the data center.

She was advised to contact the election office which did approve the request. The petition outlines reasons against data centers including; noise pollution, water resources, environmental damages, energy strain, increased traffic, property values, air quality and diesel emissions. Davis noted the data center “Is an immediate concern to our community.”

Tim Hendricks said in September he is “under agreement to purchase” 750 acres at Route 903 and Maury Road for a proposed data center.

“Once the data center is built, nothing else will be built on the land, and part of the land will go back to the township,” Hendricks said.

Concerns about data centers, which are in demand because of the growth of artificial intelligence and cloud computing, include how much power is needed to operate the equipment and how much water is needed to cool the equipment.

Other concerns are disturbances to the environment, including noise and air pollution, the displacement of wildlife and the negative impact of the sprawling structures on rural landscapes.

Along with Danielle Wojcik, Davis has created a Facebook group, Save Penn Forest Township From Data Centers, where a PDF of the petition can be found.

Anyone who would like to help can go to “files” and print a copy of the petition.

More than 600 signatures have been collected.

Residents can stay updated on the group’s Facebook page. The zoning hearing for data centers was continued from Nov. 6 to Jan. 29 at 6 p.m.

As the firehouse was at capacity in November, a venue for the hearing has not been confirmed.

Davis said, “We need the community to show up, this is a special place where we live, and we don’t want to bring the city and industrial building here.”