SOMERS, Wis. — A University of Wisconsin-Parkside student organization will host a public forum next month examining the growing development of artificial intelligence data centers in Wisconsin and the economic, environmental and utility issues surrounding them.
The “AI Data Centers Forum: Jobs, Water, Energy & Community Accountability” is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m. at The Cinema inside the UW-Parkside Student Center. The event is free and open to the public.
The forum is being organized by the Parkside Debate and Civic Leadership Association, whose founder and president, Diane Leto Gallardo, announced the event Friday.
“I’m excited to share that the Parkside Debate and Civic Leadership Association will be hosting a public forum on AI data center development in Wisconsin on October 7 at UW-Parkside,” Gallardo wrote.
Gallardo said the organization assembled a panel intended to bring together representatives from government, journalism, policy research, the data-center industry, environmental advocacy and utility-consumer organizations.
The forum comes as large-scale data-center development has become an increasingly prominent issue in southeastern Wisconsin, including in Kenosha County, where questions surrounding electricity demand, infrastructure, water consumption, tax benefits and long-term costs have become part of the public discussion.
Eight Panelists Announced
According to the event announcement, the panel will include State Rep. Ben DeSmidt; Rob Merchant of the Wisconsin Data Center Coalition; Tom Kertscher of Wisconsin Watch; Cheryl Nenn of Milwaukee Riverkeeper; Jason Stein of the Wisconsin Policy Forum; Tom Content of the Citizens Utility Board; Michael Greif of Environment Advocates; and Dave Giordano of Root Pike Initiative.
Ross Astoria, JD, PhD, and Talon Hannaman are listed as co-moderators.
Organizers say the discussion will cover economic growth and jobs, electricity demand and utility costs, water use and environmental impacts, government oversight and public accountability, and the costs and benefits of data centers to surrounding communities.
There will also be time for questions from members of the audience and an open discussion.
“I’m really looking forward to hosting this conversation and bringing a range of perspectives together on an issue that is becoming increasingly important across Wisconsin,” Gallardo wrote.
Kenosha Data-Center Debate
The event comes less than a month after the Kenosha Common Council approved plans connected to a major Microsoft data-center development in the city, putting many of the same issues identified by the Parkside forum — particularly power demand, water use, jobs and community costs — into the local spotlight.
The Oct. 7 forum could give Kenosha-area residents an opportunity to hear from organizations representing several sides of the broader data-center debate and question panelists directly.
UW-Parkside is located at 900 Wood Road in Somers. The university’s public website confirms its Kenosha County campus address, although the AI forum did not yet appear on the university’s main online event calendar when checked Saturday.
The forum begins at 5 p.m. and is scheduled to conclude at 7 p.m. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.
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19 Responses
What plans?
The event comes less than a month after the Kenosha Common Council approved plans connected to a major Microsoft data-center development in the city
“KENOSHA, Wis. — Kenosha Mayor David Bogdala (R), a lifelong Republican with deep roots in the Kenosha County GOP, went to Democratic State Rep. Ben DeSmidt’s (D) annual Pig Roast at Union Park Tavern on Saturday to support Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Crowley (D) in his campaign to become Wisconsin’s next governor.” (Kenosha County Eye)
Where did Mayor Bogdala give him an endorsement? They do have to work together if Crowley becomes governor (hope not). If a picture is what you are going off of then you are misinformed. Isn’t Crowley for data centers? I want what’s best for Kenosha.
Missing Bogdala
Rep. Ben DeSmidt(D) “panelist”
“DeSmidt (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the Wisconsin State Assembly to represent District 65. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026.”
“His career experience includes working as the co-owner of Union Park Tavern and as an associate professor at Carthage College.”
Sponsor:
“WI SB1085 – Longevity bonuses for teachers in school districts. (FE)
Under this bill, the Department of Public Instruction must pay a $7,000 bonus to any teacher who has been licensed by DPI and employed by a school board continuously for five school years.”
There is more of course…..https://ballotpedia.org/Ben_DeSmidt
What blows my mind is just how little people or organizations or corporations give to the
Campaigns and then get the vote on millions of dollars of tax payer money. https://ballotpedia.org/
It’s mind blowing. We are so screwed. They are all POS.
At least they’re trying to educate people. Ask the average person to tell you what a data center is… very few know. If they don’t understand anything about it, they will be easily swayed by the lies of those promoting it.
We do NOT need data centers here. Our water will be polluted and diminished. Our power grid will be inadequate and prices will go up drastically.
Everything you just said is incorrect. And you’re speaking from the perspective of someone who is informed ? Polluting water ; incorrect. Excess energy usage ; incorrect. They are energy self sustaining . Rising costs ? Incorrect. If anything, citizens can expect a tax break . Stop your gaslighting, you Luddite.
You should really be informed before making comments that someone else is incorrect.
Excessively energy usage: have you read the GWs that Microsoft is using in Mount Pleasant?
I don’t care about ancestors, put them by the rest of the big buildings. What I hate are the solar farms taking up valuable land.
*data centers not ancestors lol
I second this, I don’t care about data centers if they are in the right spots. I wouldn’t want one out in a corn field but next to an existing factory is no big deal. Quit putting these damn solar fields everywhere
Kenosha wants to build it on a residential street. No big buildings are on the street going north and south.
We’ll have better luck fighting for it to be put somewhere else than for one not at all. They are going in, regardless. Not much we can do.
You should be angrier. They are polluting our air. They are drinking wine while they give us only a drop they spill.
Don’t need to go because we know what this Chinese propaganda “forum” will be about. It would only be somewhat interesting to go to count the amount of absolute lies that will be told. The most obnoxious lie will be on how much water it will “drain” from Lake Michigan. The real and FACTUAL answer is less than a golf course and LESS than a busy restaurant uses in 3 months. How much “pollution”, well all the DC’s in SE will never pollute Lake Michigan in the entire existence as bad as the city, Racine and Milwaukee did last weekend with the amount of RAW SEWAGE the dumped into the Lake. That fact will never be raised by these morons.
But the gullible sheep will go and be fed provable lies. SIGH.
Data Centers and water use usually provoke lots of emotion.
One thing not usually taken into account, and really don’t know if it applies to Kenosha’s water utility, but many cities had water utilities that were scaled to meet the needs of massive industrial/manufacturing needs and when that all went away in the 1980’s and 1990’s were faced with a loss of revenue that extended into the cities general fund.
Would be interesting to see some data on Kenosha’s situation in regards to impact beyond property tax revenue or a lack there of.
The truth is nobody really knows what’s going on with these data centers, 5000+ in the United States! There is a clip out there of Elon Musk mistakenly calling them power centers! The one on 11 sure looks like a power center of some sort!
So what if it a a power center LOL