Hallam holds town hall to discuss proposed data center in village
HALLAM, Neb. (KLKN) – The community of Hallam has less than 300 people.
It’s a farming community amidst an evolving landscape; within a mile of the village is a solar farm and several power plants.
Darin Schwaninger has lived in Hallam his entire life, and says, “It’s really changed the nature of the area. We’re a lot more of an industrial area now.”
Hallam is now anticipating a major change within their own jurisdiction- a potential data center.
If approved, the center would be an extension of the Monolith plant.
A town hall scheduled for Thursday evening would allow for a discussion to happen between residents and the company.
It would focus on the first phase of the proposal, which asks Hallam to make changes to zoning rules in the area so that the expansion can happen.
“I’m worried about the noise. I’m worried about the water usage. I’m worries about the heat, traffic, things like that,” said Schwaninger.
He says the talks around this are causing division in the community.
Those for the data center, say it’ll bring jobs, but Schwaninger disagrees.
“I don’t think it will. Once it gets built, there won’t be a lot of jobs. I don’t see a whole lot of new business or new people moving into the area because of it,” he said.
For local businessman Ryan Gilland that’s exactly what he’s hoping for.
“We’re doing a spec house in the new development just south of town,” said Gilland.
“As a business aspect of it, if it creates jobs, it would help us sell houses.”
Gilland says he’s mostly neutral about the idea of a data center but ultimately thinks this type of expansion is inevitable.
“If you think about the big picture, you got the big towns like Lincoln, they’re all over there. I mean, they’re all over everywhere. They’re trying to put data centers all over,” he said.
“So, is everybody going to move out of Lincoln? No. Are some people going to move out because of it? Eh, maybe, but I don’t see a high percentage of that happening.”
Most people Channel 8 spoke to say their hopes for Thursday’s town hall are to receive more information on what the data center proposal would entail.
Monolith says they welcome the town halls and the communication with the community.
They provided the following statement from the company’s CEO Russ Webb.
“Tonight’s town hall is part of Monolith’s longstanding commitment to open and transparent communication with the Hallam community. Since February, we have discussed our expansion strategy publicly through town halls, a press release, public meetings, community events, and direct conversations with residents well before filing zoning applications or seeking approvals. We know people have questions, and we believe the best way to address them is through open dialogue, clear information, and continued engagement throughout the process. We appreciate everyone who takes the time to join the conversation and share their perspectives.”
If you would like to check out the minutes from Thursday’s meeting, you can access them on the Village of Hallam website.
