A second expert who testified about how much traffic an 18-building data center could create in Archbald left some officials and community members asking “why are you here?”
"Why did we bring you?” council member Lisa Osborne, seemingly confused, asked after Frank Tavani's testimony.
Monday was the fifth conditional use hearing for the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus and another night of unanswered questions. It was also the second time Brooklyn-based Cornell Realty Management, through its attorney Edmund Campbell, had a traffic expert testify.
“What did we not get, or were you not able to portray to us from your first traffic engineer, because you seem to have a different set of experience,” Osborne asked.
"I wanted to have, bring someone back … to clarify issues that were raised, legitimate issues that were raised,” Campbell said.
The campus is planned for 500 acres off Wildcat Road and Business Route 6. It’s one of six data center campuses proposed for Archbald. The developer has to prove the project meets the conditions of the borough's zoning ordinance.
Also during the hearing, the Valley View School District, through attorney Kyle Callejas, was granted party status. When asked, Campbell again said that the massive campus has yet to have an end user — and told council that they’re not privy to all the information regarding security for the proposed campus.
More traffic, more confusion
In April, Jerilyn D. Luben, of Honesdale-based L&V Engineering, testified about a traffic analysis prepared by her firm.
Luben was not at Monday’s meeting. In her place was a new traffic engineer, Tavani.
"I'm here tonight offering testimony, some of which will be my opinion, some of which I'm just relating facts, things I read from a book, including what I'm about to say right now, so anyone could laugh, whatever they want to do, but these are facts,” Tavani said.
Tavani said he familiarized himself with Wildcat campus and the site plan and reviewed Luben’s trip generation study and the transcript from the April hearing. He did not provide a report for council or those granted party status to the hearings.
Traffic engineers use the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) trip generation manual to project traffic numbers. Tavani testified that there are more real-world studies of data center traffic in the 12th edition of manual verses the 11th edition.
And what he observed through the most recent manual is that as the average building size went up, traffic went down.
The crowd laughed.
"That was not part of the April testimony, and what I read, I thought that was valuable,” Tavani said.
Attorney Justin Richards represents some of the hundreds of community members in the audience. He said electricity consumption, number of generators, pollution and air emissions also increases with larger data centers.
"I'm going to object, it's not a traffic question,” Campbell said.
Tavani also said he was there because Luben’s testimony about truck traffic was “a bit unclear and muddled.”
Luben’s analysis found that truck trips were “negligible," which drew questions. She later clarified that truck traffic was included in the sum of the trips, but the amount of truck trips in total is what her firm meant by negligible.
Tavani said truck activity will be limited to parcel deliveries and "things like that." He said the only exceptions will be for the trucks delivering fuel to the campus' projected 588 diesel-powered backup generators that need to be routinely tested.
Tavani said refueling the generators could increase traffic by 2%.
"Nobody in this room will even notice that increase in traffic," he said.
Tavani and Campbell pushed off the answers to some questions on the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) eventual involvement, including how construction will impact traffic, and a highway occupancy permit. Called an HOP, Cornell will have to apply for that if the campus receives zoning approval.
"After your testimony today, I personally felt less secure on the Wildcat Ridges' submitted traffic study, and it actually created more confusion," resident Tammy Misewicz-Healey said to Tavani. "So what are we truly looking at here? But is there any new data or helpful applicable data study report being presented related to traffic studies today?"
Misewicz-Healey, who founded the Stop Archbald Data Centers group, and Richards both objected to adding Tavani’s testimony to the record.
"Aside from a new spin on this report that the council has already had the opportunity to consider, there is absolutely nothing here other than cumulative and duplicative testimony,” Richards said.
No end user, no communication with school district
Callejas went through numerous questions about how traffic would impact the school district. Campbell again said that will be part of the HOP and the land development process.
Callejas asked Campbell and Tavani how the traffic study could possibly account for the number of employees, the routes they take and times they drive to work if Cornell has yet to announce an end-user to run the facility.
Tavani reiterated the ITE trip generation manual is based on real-world data.
"Okay, we're not living in the real world here. We are living in fantasy land. We are assuming an end user,” Callejas said.
Campbell said the end user will be identified at the appropriate time.
"This is not the appropriate time," he said.
Callejas later said that no one from Cornell has reached out to the district to discuss emergency planning, evacuation procedures, or any shelter-in-place programs or procedures.
Questions about security
After Campbell rested his case, council member Larry Marchetti said he objected to adding the campus’ security plan as an exhibit in the hearing.
He said the plan does not address how the borough’s emergency responders, including its thee volunteer fire companies, would respond to an emergency at the data center.
Campbell said the community concern about safety is obvious. He said his client is also worried about safety.
"For obvious security reasons, details about lots of the security protocols aren't appropriate to be included in the public forum,” he said.
Campbell also said the security plan will be updated, refined and concluded as part of land development.
"What frightens me most is that ... we're going to leave it with a couple sheets of paper as being adequate to to inform the community and the first responders as as to the potential electrocution hazards, battery hazards, combustible liquid hazards, and anything else that's on that site,” Marchetti said.
Campbell said he believes the security plan as submitted is enough to receive the conditional approval.
"You're asking today to identify security measures in response to the elements of the development that are, you know, the interior of these buildings are likely to change a year from now,” he said.
The hearing ended with after three hours.
Richards said that the objectors have a health, safety and welfare expert to testify on their behalf.
A sixth continuation of the hearing is scheduled for Monday, July 6, at 7 p.m. in the Valley View High School Auditorium.
