A Carroll County, Kentucky hearing about two proposed hyperscale data centers took a deafening turn when residents decided officials should hear exactly what they fear living beside.
During an October 22 Fiscal Court meeting, a loud mechanical whine suddenly cut through a presentation on a draft community benefits agreement. Residents were playing recordings they said were captured at an operating data center in Florence, Kentucky, using the noise to demonstrate what a constant industrial hum could mean for families living near the proposed developments.
Judge-Executive David Wilhoite responded that the audience had made its point. Residents shot back that the sound was something they could potentially face around the clock.
That exchange immediately struck a nerve online.
One Reddit commenter summed up the anger bluntly: “It seems they can’t stand it for one hearing, but expect their constituents to do so 24/7/365… Says all you need to know.”
Another focused on Wilhoite’s response, writing: “What makes it worse it the ‘Ok, you’ve made your point.’ Immediately before too.”
This Is Not Just A Noise Complaint
The scale of what is being discussed helps explain why residents are making so much noise about noise.
Carroll County has been dealing with proposals for two massive data center campuses, including an approximately 550-acre project presented by Poe Companies and PowerHouse Group with a target capacity of 800 megawatts. During an August Fiscal Court presentation, the developer discussed a proposed 65-decibel limit at property lines while acknowledging that site work and tenant decisions were still preliminary.
Deca Companies is pursuing another Carroll County data center project near Ghent. Its official project website currently says site selection, engineering diligence, and power work are complete, while public engagement and permitting remain “in progress.” Construction and operations are still listed as future phases.
That matters because the argument is happening before these facilities are fully built, when residents still have a chance to push for enforceable protections rather than complain after the machinery switches on.
Carroll County has also been wrestling with the limits of its existing land-use powers. Officials began exploring countywide planning and zoning this summer, with discussions specifically shaped by concerns surrounding data center development.
For residents, the recording was therefore more than a stunt. It was an attempt to turn an abstract planning debate into something impossible to ignore. Thirty seconds of mechanical whining inside a hearing room is irritating. The fear in Carroll County is what happens when nobody can switch it off.
