Community Data Center Info

Good afternoon,

Please see the attached flyer and press release related to a community planning forum on data center development scheduled for July 28th. This email is being sent to County Board Supervisors and Municipal Clerks and Chairs within Bayfield County.

Feel free to share with others in the community who may be interested.

Best,

Ruth Hulstrom, AICP | Director
Planning and Zoning Department
117 E 5th Street, PO Box 58
Washburn, WI 54891
Phone: 715-373-3514
Fax: 715-373-0114
Email: ruth.hulstrom@bayfieldcounty.wi.gov

Fraudulent Billing Alert: Be aware that individuals submitting applications to our department have received scam emails. Bayfield County will NOT ask applicants to wire any funds. Please contact our office at zoning@bayfieldcounty.wi.gov or 715 373-6138 with any questions or concerns.

DATA CENTER EVENT FLYER 7.28.26

Data Center Event press release 7.28.26

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UW–Madison Extension, Ashland County, and Bayfield County to Host Community Planning Forum on Data Centers WASHBURN, Wis.

— Local government officials, community leaders, and residents are invited to attend a Community Planning Forum: Understanding Data Centers and Rural Communities on Tuesday, July 28, from 1:30–3:30 p.m. at the Great Lakes Visitor Center.

This free educational event is being organized through a partnership between UW–Madison Extension in Ashland and Bayfield Counties. The forum will provide research-based information about data centers and the opportunities,
challenges, and planning considerations they may present for rural communities. No registration is required.

As demand for digital infrastructure grows across the country, communities are increasingly being asked to consider questions related to data center development, including infrastructure needs, economic impacts, land use considerations, housing impacts, and local decision-making authority. Recent discussions across Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region have highlighted the importance of understanding the planning tools available to local communities as these issues emerge.

The forum will be led by Karl Green, Community Planning Specialist with the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension. Green recently served as Director of Extension’s Local Government Education Program and now leads educational efforts related to emerging community planning issues, including data centers.

Topics will include:

• What data centers are and why they are expanding

• Current trends in Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest

• Infrastructure considerations, including energy, water, housing, and roads

• Potential opportunities and challenges for rural communities

• Planning and zoning tools available to local governments

• Lessons from communities that have considered or hosted data center development

The educational forum is designed for county and municipal officials, planning commissioners, economic development professionals, local government staff, and interested community members.

The event is intended to provide balanced, research-based information that can support informed local conversations and decision-making. While the topic has generated increasing interest among local governments across the region, the purpose of the forum is educational rather than advocacy-oriented.For media inquiries:

Dan Grady
County Administrator Ashland County
715-682-7015
715-681-1716 (cell)
dan.grady@ashlandcountywi.gov

Mark Abeles-Allison
County Administrator Bayfield County
715-373-6181 (office)
715-209-7949 (cell)
mark.abeles-allison@bayfieldcounty.wi.gov

For event information or accommodation requests:
Kellie Pederson
Community Development Educator
UW–Madison Division of Extension / Bayfield County
715-292-5582
kellie.pederson@wisc.edu

Lissa Radke
Community Development Educator
UW–Madison Division of Extension / Ashland County
715-682-7017
lissa.radke@wisc.edu