Chillicothe — Along with the mayor, council showed action on concerns about the data center announced for the former paper mill site in their July 27th session.
Officials and citizens alike were surprised by an announcement of a proposed data center by the nine-month owner of the 462-acre former paper mill complex. From the news release on the website of the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce:
“U.S. Paper Mill is transforming the former Pixelle Specialty Solutions plant into a 21st-century regional hub for advanced manufacturing, aerospace innovation, medical device production, research and development, and next-generation computing technologies.”
The news release avoids the term “data center” among the five projects, but explains:
“The site’s long-term vision also includes major investments in advanced technology infrastructure. Through a collaboration focused on deploying advanced AMD hardware and technology at the site, Aligned plans to develop a high-performance computing campus on the property.
“The project represents an anticipated $1.5 billion investment and would establish the campus as a strategic hub for artificial intelligence infrastructure, advanced computing and next-generation technology jobs.”
Data centers have been a hot topic lately, with much public resistance to them focusing on accusations of excessive water and electrical consumption, water pollution, and more. A statewide petition effort to allow voters to to limit the size of new data centers by amending the Ohio Constitution continues.
Local officials have said that they learned about the possible data center from the news release, and that no public review processes or regulatory announcements gave them advance notice. (WOSU 89.7 NPR News produced an excellent summary of the issue on July 6th.)
The July 13th Chillicothe Council heard the first concerns about the presumed data center development. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend…and the regular video recording of council on YouTube and Facebook failed.
Mayor Luke Feeney gave a response to the news then. The Chillicothe Gazette reports that he said “the administration has been working to get information about the project” like “zoning, water usage and discharge, noise pollution, and more.” (Feeney was not at the July 27th council session.)
On July 23rd, Council president Kevin Shoemaker officially assigned Engineering Committee Chair and at-large Chillicothe council member Kathy Dunn to gather “information to formulate possible legislation regarding data centers.”
Dunn held a committee meeting just before the July 27th, 2026 council session, with the entirety of council. She said she worked hard in the previous few days to prepare for the task, and gave homework to four council members, whom she said live in city wards closest to the project site:
- Jeff Creed (at-large) – electrical power consumption
- Greg McKeever (5th Ward) – water and wastewater use
- Dan Demint (6th Ward) and Richard McQuirt (4th Ward) – noise concerns
In her report, she mentioned learning about data center plans – and learning from resistance to them – in South Bloomfield (northern Pickaway County), Erie County, and Coshocton County, all in Ohio.
Dunn said three people spoke at the July 13th council session, and she has talked to probably 10 locals about it personally.
The “data center” has been reported to be planned for the Chilpaco part of the paper mill, east of Bridge Street (not the larger Mead part ). Dunn said a 44 acre split from the 122 acre parcel there has not been filed yet.
She said she plans to lead a committee meeting just before the next council session, again.
Dunn said concerns and information on the situation are best directed to the mayor’s office, where she said Feeney is working on compiling a list of questions.
In the following news story, hear Dunn in her own words, as well as Kyle Skaggs who spoke as an industry insider in the public address portion – and find links to local activism and responses to the topic.
The former Pixelle Specialty Solutions facility is owned by “US Paper Mill Company, LLC” of Chillicothe. Its allied company “U.S. Medical Glove Company” of Harvard, Illinois has been running a small medical glove production line in a former paper shipping warehouse on 8th Street since their October open house, where they also planned to manufacture the modular assembly lines.
Search the Scioto Post for other stories on the historical Mead and Chilpaco paper mills, the last paper manufacturer Pixelle, the local task force responding to the closing, and the new owner.
