Fundraiser To Stop Data Centers In Limerick Canceled Over 'Significant Safety Concerns'

ROYERSFORD, PA — A fundraiser event organized to support community opposition to data centers in the Limerick area has been canceled due to "significant safety concerns," organizers said.

The group Prevent Limerick Data Center Development had planned an event at MaGerk's on Buckwalter Road in Royersford. In a statement, they said they received "feedback and concerns surrounding this particular event."

Kayleigh Wolfe, an administrator of the Prevent Limerick Data Center Development group, put it more bluntly.

"Due to significant safety concerns, MaGerk’s feels obligated to cancel our fundraising event on April 29th," she wrote. "(We) regret that a small but vocal number of pro data center supporters will prevent the community from attending this fundraiser...We will not be intimidated."

The nature of the safety concerns are not yet clear. There is no public community organization that backs data center construction in Limerick to directly oppose the community group, though the projects obviously have significant investment from developers and tech companies.

MaGerk's said that they do not sponsor "or take positions on specific causes," though Wolfe's statement pushed back on that reasoning, describing their efforts as non-partisan. Indeed, the group draws heavily from both Republicans and Democrats, and has more than 2,600 Facebook followers.

The group is currently seeking another location for their fundraiser event, but for now, it's been canceled. Many in the group have called for MaGerk's to be boycotted.

"We appreciate the work that local groups do and hope to continue supporting the community in positive and inclusive ways," MaGerk's added in their statement. "We remain committed to that mission and are proud to partner with a wide range of organizations across our community."

Numerous data centers have been proposed in the Limerick area due to its existing infrastructure and open space. State Sen. Katie Muth warned that the "hyperscale," very large facilities would lead to the Schuylkill River corridor becoming "Data Center Alley," with significant consequences for the ratepayers, local communities, and the environment.