LETTER: Construction misery upsets lives, care needs to be given

To Ozaukee Press:

The neighborhoods surrounding the new data center construction site are feeling the real and growing strain of the past several months of 24‑hour, five‑day‑a‑week construction. This schedule was approved quickly, and many residents felt blindsided. The Town of Port Washington is a community used to a single farmer working the fields one night a year, not months of heavy machinery, bright lights and nonstop overnight noise.

Sleep is not optional. It is a basic human need. When construction noise and vibrations keep people awake night after night, the effects are immediate and serious. Lack of sleep increases stress, anxiety, irritability and difficulty concentrating. It affects parents caring for children, seniors who already struggle with rest and workers who need to stay alert and safe on the job. This is not a small inconvenience. It is a direct threat to mental health and quality of life.

And here is the heart of the issue:

Residents should not have to pay out of pocket to cope with the consequences of a decision they did not make or want.

If the city approves a construction schedule that disrupts daily life around the clock, then the city also has a responsibility to support the people living with those impacts. That is why I am asking the mayor, the Common Council and Vantage  Data Centers to provide free access to a licensed mental health professional for any resident who needs support during this period.

Vantage has offered free car washes to help with dust from construction. While that gesture is appreciated, clean cars do not restore lost sleep, calm an anxious mind or help a parent function after another sleepless night. Mental health abatement has far more value than a free car wash ever could. What residents need most right now is support for their well‑being, not a token perk.

Offering free mental health support acknowledges the strain residents are under and provides meaningful help instead of leaving families to struggle alone.

Port Washington has always been a community built on care, connection and accountability. We look out for one another. We show up when our neighbors are hurting. Now is the time to honor those values and show residents that their well‑being matters as much as any construction project.

Tracy Finch

Port Washington