Old Fashioned News

From WPR by Rich Kremer

An unnamed tech company is proposing a $1.6 billion data center in the western Wisconsin city of Menomonie — and concerned citizens are raising the alarm.

The city council has annexed and rezoned around 320 acres of farmland, but some of those who voted yes say they don’t necessarily support the data center and need more information from developers.

There are a lot of unknowns about what would be the biggest development in the city’s history. A company called Balloonist LLC, formed in January 2024, has made the pitch to the Menomonie City Council, but won’t say which company would operate the data center. 

Council member Sydney Brennan, who voted to annex from the neighboring Town of Red Cedar and rezone it, said the council has been told it’s one of five major tech companies.

Data centers seem to be a growing part of Wisconsin and American life. Meta, one of the Big 5, is looking to build a $837m data center project in Beaver Dam. For that project, Meta used an alias Degas LLC. Could Balloonist LLC be Meta?

Starting in 2023 in Wisconsin, companies can receive a tax exemption for building a data center in the state, if the project meets certain requirements. According to an email with a source at the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp (WEDC), a company has to apply to the the WEDC to build a data center in Wisconsin. If the application is approved, the WEDC posts that information here.

Degas (AKA Meta) is listed there. Perhaps, expect Balloonist soon.