Post from Shelby Atkison - All Updates Posted Here on Facebook
"City officials had already been in contact with Swarm AI about a specific data center project inside Marshfield city limits MONTHS before the April ordinances were passed. The public was told the ordinances were a “proactive” step for a possible future data center, but records show this was not an abstract possibility. That’s how Mayor McNish framed this to the Marshfield Mail, which is where the public found out about it. There was already a named company, a named project, a parcel, preliminary site plans, zoning questions, utility discussions and city staff review.
THE FACTS:
There are now two data center issues in Marshfield/Webster County.
The first is the data center already underway on Rifle Range Road outside Marshfield city limits. That project is described as a 5-acre, sometimes 10-acre, site on Rifle Range Road, north of I-44, owned by Marshfield Lumon Solutions LLC. You see the public concerns around heat, water usage, noise, lighting and transparency, and quoted the developer saying the facility would use a deep well and a closed-loop system.
The second issue is: Swarm Systems’ proposed “Swarm SGF01” data center project tied to 630 George Street inside Marshfield city limits. In a Jan. 12 email to city staff, Amir Atefi with Swarm Systems requested preliminary zoning verification and process determination for a proposed data center on an approximately 8.20-acre portion of Webster County Parcel No. 11-2.0-09-000-000-002.000, associated with 630 George St. The email says Swarm was trying to confirm early in diligence that the use was permitted in the I-2 district and could move through the standard staff review process after site plan and construction document submission.
That same Swarm email described the proposed use as a non-public data center building housing computer servers and related electrical and mechanical infrastructure, with no manufacturing, retail or routine public traffic. It also listed early parameters: roughly 60,000 square feet of building area, about 39.5 feet to the top of parapet, estimated staffing of about 15 employees on the largest shift, and outdoor electrical/mechanical equipment plus emergency standby generators.
The City’s own internal email the next day, Jan. 13, says Planning Administrator Steve Deckard had received the Swarm request and that it was based on a meeting conducted “back in November” for the approximately 8.2-acre parcel at 630 George Street. That email also says Swarm sent a preliminary site plan concept and requested a response under the Marshfield City Code.
Then on April 2, Swarm was also in communication with city officials under the subject “Water Sewer Extension Discussion.” That email was sent to Rick Fletcher and copied Sam Rost, Richard Nevills and Steve Deckard.
On April 23, the Board of Aldermen agenda included two data center items: Bill No. 2026-46, adding data center terms to the zoning code, and Bill No. 2026-47, revising the I-2 Heavy Industrial District to address data center conditional use.
The adopted ordinance now defines a data center and says a data center is allowed in I-2 Heavy Industrial zoning with an approved Conditional Permit. A second ordinance added “Data Centers” under conditional uses in the I-2 Heavy Industrial District.
The April 23 minutes say Mayor McNish described the first ordinance as a “proactive effort” to establish regulations “in the event a data center seeks to locate within the City.” The minutes also say Steve Deckard presented the second ordinance establishing regulations and requirements for data centers, and that board members appreciated the proactive approach because data centers are emerging in many communities. Both ordinances were read twice by title and passed that same night by unanimous roll call votes. Missouri law does allow both ordinance readings to occur at one meeting, but if read by title only, copies must be available for public inspection before consideration.
So my questions are:
Why was this presented to the public as a general, proactive ordinance when city records show Marshfield had already been discussing a specific Swarm Systems data center project inside city limits for months?
Why would the City lie about not knowing anything about the proposed data centers when we have all these public record emails?? Because I quote “One reached out to us one time but we haven’t heard back.”
Why would the Mayor speak out AGAINST the concerned citizens on the Rifle Range Road project knowing that it’s tied to the 60,000 square foot data center coming to George Street right here in City Limits.?"
