Are Data Centers Really Scary? Water, Power & Community Trust | Behind the Cape

A data center is proposed near your home. What happens to your water, your power bill and your say in what comes next? This Indiana panel gets into the questions communities need answered before a deal is signed. I brought together an industry representative, researchers from IU and Purdue, and co-moderator Shaneeka R. Abram, who has lived in a data center community. We talk through cooling systems, electricity costs, jobs, secrecy and the frustration of being invited to a hearing after the decision already feels made. Brad Tietz makes the industry's case for investment and economic benefits. David Konisky presses on affordability, trust and the uneven burdens on nearby residents. Roberto Gallardo explores development potential and meaningful community engagement. Shaneeka brings the conversation back to disrupted businesses, homes and everyday life. WHAT YOU'LL TAKE AWAY Why the type and size of a data center matter. Why water use needs a site-specific answer, including the cooling design. Where the panel agrees and disagrees on power costs and who pays for upgrades. How NDAs, timing and public participation shape community trust. What to ask about jobs, community benefits, electronic waste and an unfinished or abandoned facility. My takeaway: communities should negotiate from an informed position. Before your next public meeting, choose three questions from the Penn State guide below and ask who will answer them, when, and in writing. CHAPTERS 00:00 Live setup and audience check 03:43 Why bring this panel together? 06:44 Meet the co-moderator and panelists 12:33 What is a data center? 20:23 AI anxiety, rural identity and public pushback 24:43 Water use and cooling systems 29:55 Trust, reporting and local context 35:07 NDAs and meaningful public engagement 42:04 A resident's experience of construction disruption 44:13 Power bills, grid upgrades and generation 51:11 Audience questions and economic benefits 58:23 Who benefits, and who bears the costs? 1:02:44 Jobs, local businesses and quality of life 1:09:04 Exit plans, e-waste and community agreements 1:13:06 Negotiating power and the pace of AI 1:18:56 Closing thoughts PANEL & HOSTS Brad Tietz | Director of Government Affairs, Midwest, Data Center Coalition https://www.datacentercoalition.org/c... David Konisky | Professor and Associate Dean for Research, Indiana University O'Neill School; co-director, Energy Justice Lab https://oneill.indiana.edu/faculty-re... Roberto Gallardo | Associate Professor and Vice President for Engagement, Purdue University. Participating in his faculty capacity, sharing his own views. https://extension.purdue.edu/cdext/ab... Co-moderator: Shaneeka R. Abram | AI trainer, educator and founder of Abundant Solutions Consulting   / sreneeabram   Host: Jason Padgett | Chief AI Officer, Chakra AI Solutions; host, AGI Podcast RESOURCES MENTIONED Penn State Extension: Data Centers: A Guide to Common Questions https://extension.psu.edu/data-center... Recorded live on LinkedIn, October 27, 2026. Sponsored by Chakra AI Solutions. CONNECT WITH JASON PADGETT Jason Padgett | AI Solutions Architect | Co-Founder, Wooden Boy Industries | Host, AGI Podcast | AI Adoption, LLM Systems & Human-AI Workflows AGI - Advance Grow and Innovate with AI Podcast Network 🌐 https://schoolsout.agipodcast.ai/ CoFounder, Wooden Boy Industries 🌐 https://woodenboyindustriesai.com/ Chief AI Officer, Chakra AI Solutions 🌐 https://chakrasolutions.ai/ 📧 jason@agipodcast.ai TOOLS MENTIONED ChatGPT LinkedIn Live #DataCenters #Indiana #CommunityEngagement