Anonymous data center survey begs questions

A survey distributed recently via text message asking questions about the Port Washington data center complex to be built by Vantage Data Centers has the people who received it asking questions of their own. 

Was the survey, which is now closed, legitimate?

Who commissioned it?

Was the questionnaire intended to gauge opinion or sway it?

The answers, according to Mark Freeman, vice president of global marketing for Vantage, are:

Yes, the survey was legitimate.

It was commissioned by Vantage.

It was part of the company’s efforts to listen to residents’ concerns and “be a good neighbor.”

“As we enter a new market, we believe it’s important to listen and understand any concerns from local residents,” Freeman said. “Our goal is always to be a good neighbor and not make any assumptions. One of the ways we do this is by asking questions of the community. 

“This understanding informs how we can best engage with neighbors and address any matters that may be important to them. Active listening is part of our culture and something that we believe should be ongoing to ensure meaningful relationships for years to come.”

The online survey, conducted through publicstream.org, asked 27 questions, of which 14 related to the data center. 

The questions ranged from whether people supported the growth of artificial intelligence in their daily lives to whether they supported data centers in their community and the data center campus in Port.

It sought information on what were the most concerning aspects of a data center in the community, with a choice of answers ranging from the impact on nature, light and noise pollution, property values, energy consumption leading to outages, tax incentives or exemptions, increased utility costs, additional transmission lines and water consumption.

Several of the questions focused on positive aspects of the data center, such as the number of jobs created during construction and after and the $175 million in infrastructure upgrades to be made by Vantage, then asked if knowing those details made the respondent more or less likely to support the data center or it made no difference.

It asked if the respondent were more likely to support a data center if the new tax revenue would support increased teacher salaries, increased pay for first responders and emergency and public safety services, increased educational funding or lowered property taxes.

It also asked how new tax revenue from the data center should be used — for school funding, public safety, lowering taxes, transportation improvements, parks and public spaces, protecting the environment or something else, or whether the respondent would not support a data center in the community regardless of what the tax revenue.

It also sought information regarding the respondent’s feelings about the job performance of President Donald Trump, Gov. Tony Evers, Port Mayor Ted Neitzke and  the Port Common Council.

It asked what political party the respondent most aligned with and what ideology was most in line with their views — conservative, moderate or liberal.