{"id":219797,"date":"2026-06-15T19:20:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T19:20:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/219797\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T19:20:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T19:20:22","slug":"olyphant-residents-who-oppose-data-centers-raising-money-to-hire-attorney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/219797\/","title":{"rendered":"Olyphant residents who oppose data centers raising money to hire attorney"},"content":{"rendered":"

A core member of a fledgling data center opposition movement in Olyphant assures her community their fight isn\u2019t over.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not dead yet,\u201d said Eva Rappenglueck. \u201cWe have a shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rappenglueck leads the fundraising efforts for the growing Stop Olyphant Data Centers movement<\/a>. She recently launched a GoFundMe campaign<\/a> with a $10,000 goal to hire an attorney to represent residents.\u00a0The campaign had raised $2,700 as of Monday afternoon. A\u00a0retainer alone is projected to cost $3,000 to $5,000, Rappenglueck said.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce we can get this attorney locked down, there are so many different ways that they could break this whole thing wide open for us,\u201d said the Olyphant resident and mother of a 4-year-old daughter who moved with her husband from Archbald in 2022. \u201cIt opens so many doors for us to keep this going and keep moving and still have a chance at stopping it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olyphant conditionally permits data centers across roughly 1,000 acres of industrially zoned land surrounded by the Casey Highway, Marshwood Road and Route 247. There are nine data centers proposed on the east side of the property. A Charles DeNaples-managed firm filed and subsequently withdrew plans for seven more data centers on the west side.\n<\/p>\n

\u2018Still fighting\u2019<\/p>\n

Communities throughout Northeast Pennsylvania have used Facebook to organize data center opposition, livestream meetings, share information and rally.<\/p>\n

Stop Archbald Data Centers created the roadmap for other communities to follow. Its active membership routinely packs borough meetings to speak out against data center developments encroaching on their parks, homes and schools. The group has grown to more than 12,700 members on Facebook in just over seven months. Members sell yellow-and-black T-shirts and matching signs, and even hosted a lemonade stand.<\/p>\n

\"Megan<\/p>\n

Megan Farrell, left, sells \u201cNo Data Centers\u201d signs and t-shirts before the public hearing regarding the Wildcat Ridge Date Center Campus at Valley View High School in Archbald on Monday, April 13, 2026. Proceeds of the items go to a fund to help to pay for legal fees for residents to oppose Archbald\u2019s data center zoning. Farrell believes that a data center would not be beneficial to the community and would put stress on natural resources. (REBECCA PARTICKA\/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Archbald<\/p>\n

Archbald resident David Polansky hands out \u201cNO DATA CENTER\u201d signs outside the Valley View High School in Archbald on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. Polansky said he was handing out his third batch of 500 signs.
\n(FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"Community<\/p>\n

Community members listen to Attorney Edmund Campbell ask acoustical consultant Caitlin Ormsbee about the noise pollution study conducted for the proposed Wildcat Ridge data center campus during the public hearing at Valley View High School in Archbald on Thursday, May 14, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA\/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Children<\/p>\n

Children hold up signs during a special public meeting for applications to build 18 data centers at the Archbald Borough Building in Archbald Friday, March 27, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A woman holds a sign asking council to deny the Essential Energy LLC power plant during a conditional use hearing in the Valley View High School auditorium in Archbald to consider the 400-megawatt natural gas power plant on Thursday, May 21, 2026. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"Megan<\/p>\n

Megan Farrell mans a sign and T-shirt table outside the Archbald Borough Building on Wednesday April 15, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 6<\/p>\n

Megan Farrell, left, sells \u201cNo Data Centers\u201d signs and t-shirts before the public hearing regarding the Wildcat Ridge Date Center Campus at Valley View High School in Archbald on Monday, April 13, 2026. Proceeds of the items go to a fund to help to pay for legal fees for residents to oppose Archbald\u2019s data center zoning. Farrell believes that a data center would not be beneficial to the community and would put stress on natural resources. (REBECCA PARTICKA\/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

The group\u2019s legal defense GoFundMe had raised nearly $47,600 across almost 1,000 donations as of Monday afternoon.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The group used\u00a0those donations to hire attorney Justin Richards of Elliott Greenleaf PC. Richards has cross-examined every data center witness across dozens of hours of hearings and filed appeals and legal challenges on residents\u2019 behalf.<\/p>\n

The Archbald residents leading the charge in their borough have given Olyphant residents hope, as well as advice for their own movement, Rappenglueck said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re our neighbors, and they came together and they fought, and they\u2019re still fighting,\u201d she said, noting the national media attention Archbald has received. \u201cWe are a small town, but people are passionate about this everywhere, and as long as you can get your story out and you have people working hard behind the scenes and in front, you have a solid chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Archbald<\/p>\n

Archbald residents applaud at an Archbald Borough Council meeting on Wednesday April, 15, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A man wearing a T-short that reads \u201cArchbald Citizens for Responsible Zoning\u201d listens during an Archbald Borough Council meeting at Valley View High School on Monday, May 11, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A \u201cNo Data Centers\u201d sign along Kennedy and Altier drives in Archbald on April 20, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A man wears an \u201cArchbald residents for responsible zoning\u201d shirt outside the Archbald Borough Building on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"Tamara<\/p>\n

Tamara Misewicz-Healey, co-founder of Stop Archbald Data Centers, asks questions during an Archbald Borough Council meeting at Valley View High School on Monday, May 11, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING\/STAFF PHOTO).\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 5<\/p>\n

Archbald residents applaud at an Archbald Borough Council meeting on Wednesday April, 15, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Olyphant residents carrying printed signs filled council chambers Tuesday as council considered \u2014 and ultimately approved \u2014 a settlement with Charles DeNaples\u2019 Triboro Commerce Park that recognized Olyphant\u2019s data center zoning. Borough officials defended the move as necessary to protect residents.<\/p>\n

\"Olyphant<\/p>\n

Olyphant resident Natalia Berjashi holds a \u201cWe the People\u201d sign during a council meeting in the Municipal Building in Olyphant on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"Residents<\/p>\n

Residents fill Olyphant\u2019s council chambers for a meeting on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"Residents<\/p>\n

Residents pack Olyphant\u2019s council chambers for a meeting on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"Olyphant<\/p>\n

Olyphant resident Halil Berjashi asks the crowd to raise their hand if they oppose council\u2019s vote to resolve a lawsuit until they more details during a council meeting in the Municipal Building in Olyphant on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A woman holds a \u201cNO DATA CENTERS\u201d sign during a council meeting in the Municipal Building in Olyphant on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 5<\/p>\n

Olyphant resident Natalia Berjashi holds a \u201cWe the People\u201d sign during a council meeting in the Municipal Building in Olyphant on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to stop these,\u201d Rappenglueck said. \u201cWe are entirely grassroots, we\u2019re the stay-at-home moms and the full-time employees working around here, just trying to use all our extra time to research what\u2019s going on and convince everybody that the decisions that are being made right now, seemingly behind closed doors, are decisions that are going to shape this entire valley for generations and generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olyphant\u2019s anti-data center movement blew up in April following a procedural debacle<\/a> at a council meeting where borough officials attempted to regulate data centers. The April meeting became the basis of DeNaples\u2019 lawsuit challenging the borough<\/a> over its data center zoning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when everybody kind of really kicked in and said, \u2018OK, something\u2019s not right here,\u2019\u201d Rappenglueck said. \u201cWe need to stop these.\u201d<\/p>\n

A template to follow<\/p>\n

Justin Healey and his wife, Tamara Misewicz-Healey, founded the Stop Archbald Data Centers group in October, and Healey created the GoFundMe<\/a> campaign that paid for their legal defense.\n<\/p>\n

Their group receives inquiries from people all over the United States asking for information, ranging from how to start the process of fundraising to questions on legal matters, Healey said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love seeing it,\u201d he said. \u201cI love that what we did with Archbald and the Stop Archbald Data Centers group can be used as a template that others can follow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Healey said their group never set out with specific numbers in mind when they started their legal defense, but in hindsight, he isn\u2019t surprised at their success.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is necessary to occur, and we were going to make sure that it did,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Hiring an attorney has been incredible, Healey said. An attorney ensures there are no gaps in the record, meaning their counsel is looking ahead toward future appeals in court. Healey said he considers Richards part of their team.<\/p>\n

For residents looking to rally their communities against data centers, Healey stressed the importance of getting people involved in the cause.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople like to contribute to something, especially if it\u2019s something that people really do believe in,\u201d Healey said. \u201cAnd in this case, a lot of people are very concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rallying around a Facebook group rather than a Facebook page is crucial, he said. Operating as a group where everyone can post creates a place for people to share information, compile documentation and build camaraderie, he said.<\/p>\n

Residents use the platform to monitor their communities, posting about things like tree clearings and engineering firms visiting data center sites, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat creates that community, it creates that buy-in,\u201d Healey said. \u201cIt allows people to feel included in the movement, and that is your traction \u2014 that is how you continue to move the needle forward when everybody feels like they are a part of something.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Olyphant residents raise money for their legal defense, Stop Olyphant Data Centers is selling signs for $10, with T-shirt preorders coming soon, Rappenglueck said. Any type of support is useful, whether that\u2019s financial or just joining their Facebook group and sharing posts, she said.<\/p>\n

She hopes to organize into a nonprofit as they continue their fight.<\/p>\n

Legal defense<\/p>\n

Stop Archbald Data Centers used its legal fund to hire attorney Justin Richards of Elliott Greenleaf PC. In addition to cross-examining data center witnesses at public hearings, Richards:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Appealed<\/a> Archbald\u2019s data center zoning.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Appealed a data center developer\u2019s contention that the 18-data-center Project Scott should be automatically approved due to a procedural issue.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Challenged<\/a> the validity of the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus\u2019 sound study \u2014 a key element of its conditional use application \u2014 after discovering its sound-measuring devices used to establish baseline ambient sound lacked a necessary certification.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Discovered<\/a> the limited liability company behind the proposed 400-megawatt Essential Energy LLC power plant did not legally exist when it filed its zoning application with the borough, only organizing with the state a day after filing in Archbald.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A core member of a fledgling data center opposition movement in Olyphant assures her community their fight isn\u2019t…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":219798,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[2117,2116,201,182,139,2120,28,178,180,179,181],"class_list":["post-219797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-archbald","tag-data-centers","tag-lackawanna-county","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-olyphant","tag-pennsylvania","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-top-stories-stt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219797"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219797\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/219798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}