More than 1,700 residents have signed a petition opposing a potential data center in Mercer County, and dozens gathered at a public meeting on Wednesday night to voice their opposition to the project.The meeting, which lasted se veral hours, drew hundreds of residents who came and went throughout the proceedings. Nearly 50 people signed up to share their thoughts on the controversial proposal."It has no business, no business in Mercer County," William Lawson said.Many residents think local officials haven't been transparent throughout this process."Our overall feeling is that we've been, we've been betrayed almost by the people we've put in power," Ethan Kestler said.Harley Baker raised concerns about the project's impact on local employment and the area's horse farms."It doesn't bring jobs to Mercer County other than just the workers to build it and then they leave, but it is very possibly a job killing because the horse farms in the area they cannot train with those low frequencies disturbing their horse," Baker said.Dr. Rick Angel spoke about the broader community impact, citing concerns about residents' quality of life."Folks feel loss of control over their environment, light pollution, constant industrial presence, and shown to have increased anxiety," Angel said.The meeting included a presentation by a consultant hired by the Planning and Zoning Committee to analyze the project's pros and cons. The consultant highlighted the economic impact of data centers in Virginia, which supported more than $31 billion in total economic output in 2023.However, many residents questioned whether Virginia's experience would translate to Mercer County, with some residents questioning the presentation itself."What's proposed is on very lucrative and some of the best farmland in the state of Kentucky, and it has a historical area that is right next to Shakertown," Baker said. "That was a very pro-data center presentation and did not include the negatives."The tension in the room was evident, with at least one person being removed from the meeting during the proceedings. ...read more read less