Port Washington data center site; city to limit outdoor construction work hours
Limits on Port Washington data center construction
After months of complaints, relief could be on way for people living near the Port Washington data center site. The construction has been taking place all day and all night. That will soon be changing. The question is...will it matter?
PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. - The City of Port Washington Plan Commission voted unanimously during a meeting Thursday night, March 19, to limit hours for outdoor construction work at the data center site.
Rendering of data center in Port Washington
Outdoor work hours
What we know:
Mayor Ted Neitzke IV made a motion to amend the previously approved building, site and operations plan for the project, imposing a new limit on outdoor construction activities to between the hours of 6 a.m. and 8 p.m.
The Plan Commission approved the new limits, which will take effect April 18.
Currently, construction on the site is permitted 24 hours a day during the week, with more limited work hours on weekends.
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Newly imposed parameters
- Limiting deliveries to the site to between the hours of 6 a.m. and 8 p.m.
- Reducing lighting on the site after 8:30 p.m. to lower levels needed to maintain security.
- Only allowing work on a Sunday with prior approval from the City Engineer, and limited to no more than one Sunday per month.
- Allowing 24-hour indoor work Monday through Friday, and then until Saturday night at 11:59 p.m., only after buildings are built, fully enclosed and reviewed by the City Engineer.
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Mayor Neitzke statement
What they're saying:
"Allowing 24-hour outdoor construction work five days a week on the site was always going to be temporary. Eventually, much of the work on this project will be done indoors and be less noticeable. We initially allowed extended hours with the intention of getting the project to that point as quickly as possible. But based on what we have heard from nearby residents, the benefits of speeding up the construction timeline are not worth the additional inconvenience. The overnight work is simply too disruptive and needs to end. With tonight’s vote by the Plan Commission, 24-hour work on the site will wind down over the next few weeks."
Response from neighbors
What they're saying:
"There's hundreds of dump trucks a day going in and out hauling dirt and gravel. It's just been a nightmare…the lights at night are just absolutely horrible," said Port Washington resident Chris Karnish. "We don't get anything. All we get is the traffic and the noise and none of the people in the Port Washington common Council or the mayor cares cause they don't live out there."
The Source: The information in this post was provided by the City of Port Washington.