GOOD EVENING AND THANKS FOR JOINING US TONIGHT. I’M MIKE CLARK. AND I’M KRISTEN POWERS TONIGHT, A BEAVER COUNTY COMMUNITY MET AT THEIR LOCAL FIRE HALL TO MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD ON A PROPOSED DATA CENTER. THIS WAS THE SCENE INSIDE THE BIG BEAVER BOROUGH FIRE HALL AS A PACKED CROWD FUNNELED IN TO HEAR FROM THE COMPANY LOOKING TO DEVELOP THE SITE AT THE FORMER PITT RACE COMPLEX. PEOPLE INSIDE SHARED PHOTOS WITH PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR. SINCE THE EVENT WAS CLOSED TO NEWS CAMERAS, PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR REPORTER JORDAN CIOPPA JOINS US FROM BIG BEAVER BOROUGH WITH MORE. WITH A 382 ACRE DATA CENTER IN THE WORKS, BIG BEAVER BOROUGH RESIDENTS WANT TO KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THEIR COMMUNITY. THEY BROUGHT THEIR QUESTIONS TO A PRIVATE TOWN HALL EVENT WHERE MEDIA WAS NOT ALLOWED OUTSIDE OF THE BIG BEAVER BOROUGH FIRE HALL. CARS LINED THE PARKING LOT AND PEOPLE WAITED FOR THEIR TURN TO GET INSIDE A TOWN HALL ON A PROPOSED DATA CENTER. THEY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT PEOPLE WOULD SHOW UP AND THAT PEOPLE CARE. PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS 4 AND OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS WERE NOT ALLOWED INSIDE THE EVENT, WHICH QUICKLY REACHED CAPACITY. POLICE OFFICERS GUARDED THE DOORS WHILE THE COMPANY SWITCHED, PRESENTED ITS PLANS FOR A 382 ACRE DATA CENTER CAMPUS. I CAN’T SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO WHAT THIS COMPANY AND ITS DATA CENTER DOES. I DO THINK IT IS A NET NEGATIVE, BOTH ON SOCIETY AND FOR THE ENVIRONMENT RIGHT NOW. A MAN INSIDE SHARED THIS LIVE STREAM OF THE TOWN HALL TO SOCIAL MEDIA. REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE LAS VEGAS BASED COMPANY SAID THE PROJECT AT THE OLD PITT RACE SITE WILL CONSIST OF THREE IDENTICAL BUILDINGS. THEY SAY LESS THAN HALF OF THE CAMPUS ACREAGE WILL BE DEVELOPED. THE RACETRACK CLOSED A FEW MONTHS AGO DESPITE PUSHBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY. I’VE BEEN TO MANY EVENTS AT PITT RACE BEFORE AND IT WAS ALWAYS A GREAT TIME, AND IT’S DEFINITELY GOING TO BE A LOSS BOTH FOR THE CAR COMMUNITY AND ALSO FOR BUSINESSES IN THE AREA. ACCORDING TO SWITCH, THE CAMPUS WILL NOT BE VISIBLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND WILL NOT BE HURT. THE COMPANY CLAIMS THE DATA CENTER WILL GENERATE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN TAX REVENUE, COMPARED TO THE $11,000 PITT RACE BROUGHT IN LAST YEAR. IT’S NOT GOING TO BENEFIT US AS TAXPAYERS, EVEN THOUGH THEY MIGHT WANT IT TO SOUND LIKE IT IS. THIS COUNTY HAS BEEN SCREWED OVER TIME AND TIME AGAIN BY ALL KINDS OF INDUSTRIES. ALL KINDS OF WEALTHY PEOPLE WHO DON’T CARE ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON HERE. I WANT THEM TO KNOW THAT WE DON’T WANT THEM HERE. AND, YOU KNOW, WE’LL DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO KEEP THAT FROM HAPPENING. SINCE THE TOWN HALL WAS CLOSED TO MEDIA, WE WERE NOT ABLE TO ASK SWITCH REPRESENTATIVES QUESTIONS COVERING BEAVE
Community pushes back against proposed data center campus in Big Beaver Borough
Updated: 9:43 AM EDT Jun 3, 2026
A town hall on a proposed data center campus in Big Beaver Borough drew in a big crowd Tuesday night. “They should’ve known that people would show up and that people care,” Beaver Falls resident Aaron Zajac said. Representatives from Switch, a Las Vegas-based data center company, were in town to present their plans for a 382-acre data center campus in Big Beaver Borough. Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 and other media outlets were not allowed inside the private event, which was guarded by police officers. Neighbors waited outside to get in since the town hall quickly reached capacity. “While I can’t speak specifically to what this company and its data center does, I do think it is a net negative both on society and for the environment right now,” said Theo Reddinger, of Beaver County. A man inside shared a live stream of the town hall to social media. The Switch representatives said the project will consist of three identical buildings. Less than half of the campus acreage will be developed, the company shared. The proposed data center will replace a racetrack called Pitt Race, which closed a few months ago despite community pushback. “I’ve been to many events at Pitt Race before, and it was always a great time. It’s definitely going be a loss both for the car community and also for businesses in the area,” said Beaver County resident Ekeni Abakah.According to Switch, the campus will not be visible to the general public and will not be heard. The company claimed the data center will generate millions of dollars in tax revenue, compared to the $11,000 Pitt Race brought in last year. “It’s not going to benefit us as taxpayers, even though they might want it to sound like it is,” Abakah said. Switch did not offer media availability after the town hall.
BIG BEAVER, Pa. —
A town hall on a proposed data center campus in Big Beaver Borough drew in a big crowd Tuesday night.
“They should’ve known that people would show up and that people care,” Beaver Falls resident Aaron Zajac said.
Representatives from Switch, a Las Vegas-based data center company, were in town to present their plans for a 382-acre data center campus in Big Beaver Borough.
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 and other media outlets were not allowed inside the private event, which was guarded by police officers.
Neighbors waited outside to get in since the town hall quickly reached capacity.
“While I can’t speak specifically to what this company and its data center does, I do think it is a net negative both on society and for the environment right now,” said Theo Reddinger, of Beaver County.
A man inside shared a live stream of the town hall to social media. The Switch representatives said the project will consist of three identical buildings.
Less than half of the campus acreage will be developed, the company shared.
The proposed data center will replace a racetrack called Pitt Race, which closed a few months ago despite community pushback.
“I’ve been to many events at Pitt Race before, and it was always a great time. It’s definitely going be a loss both for the car community and also for businesses in the area,” said Beaver County resident Ekeni Abakah.
According to Switch, the campus will not be visible to the general public and will not be heard.
The company claimed the data center will generate millions of dollars in tax revenue, compared to the $11,000 Pitt Race brought in last year.
“It’s not going to benefit us as taxpayers, even though they might want it to sound like it is,” Abakah said.
Switch did not offer media availability after the town hall.