PNK Group and Eric Adams propose Wisconsin Rapids data center

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – On Aug. 1, residents of Wisconsin Rapids were blindsided when former New York City Mayor Eric Adams took the stage at a meeting regarding a potential data center at the city’s former paper mill.
Marissa Jönsson, a member of South Wood County Neighbors for Responsible Development (SWCNRD), began circulating news of the meeting after learning of it from a library employee. Her efforts resulted in a turnout that far exceeded the organizers’ expectations; the venue was moved from a small library room to the auditorium to accommodate the crowd. Jönsson noted that the meeting was poorly publicized, which fueled public frustration.
The meeting was hosted by the PNK Group, an industrial real estate development firm, alongside Adams. They proposed a large-scale data center for the site of the former paper mill, which was closed in 2020 during the pandemic. While many in the community agree the 220-acre industrially zoned site should be repurposed for job creation, the data center proposal was met with hostility. Throughout the presentation, Adams and PNK Chief Development Officer Anton Voronkin struggled to be heard over heckling and boos from the audience.
Several attendees questioned Adams’ involvement in the project, specifically citing his legal history.
“You’re asking us to trust you, and I’m curious, Mayor. You were indicted for five counts of bribery. Unfortunately, you were pardoned by our esteemed president, so you got a card and then you left the country. And I also know that you’re involved in a crypto crime,” One community member said. “So, one question is how can we trust you because you’re a convicted felon, you’re indicted for bribery, and secondly, you talk about how AI and the medical use of AI, but given your ties to cryptocurrency and to the Russians, what is your AI data center going to be used for?”

Voronkin and Adams assured the crowd that the center wouldn’t be used for cryptocurrency mining, prompting one citizen to shout, “Can we get that in writing?”
Nina Z., another SWCNRD member, expressed deep suspicion regarding Adams’ relationship with PNK.
“As far as we perceive it, it seems that he is their unofficial salesperson. I mean, he’s trying to sell this to us, basically,” she said.
PNK representatives claimed the project would utilize a closed-loop system to prevent water contamination and implement noise mitigation strategies. However, these assertions were met with skepticism due to the absence of detailed plans.
“They would answer a question, and then the next question they would inherently contradict what they just said,” Nina Z. said. “What they say they’re doing and what they actually plan to do are clearly two different things.”
Voronkin maintained that the data center would generate significant employment, both during and after construction.
“There is a construction phase when we have a lot of people coming in and they stay for two, four years. The industry is advancing and changing so fast that you actually do the renovation all the time. So all these people will be coming in. They will stay in the hotels. They will spend money in restaurants,” he said.
Concerns were raised about the project’s impact on local water temperatures and potential algae blooms, and the developers emphasized their commitment to community input and environmental responsibility, promising to address all concerns and ensure the project aligns with community needs. However, Nina Z. feels all the community received were non-answers.
In response to questions regarding the lack of transparency, Voronkin conceded that the meeting’s announcement had been mishandled.
“We should have done a little bit more work for sure from the very beginning, and we will have more communications like this. And again, Eric said previously, we want to build the trust, right? So we’ll invest our time and effort in the communication as much as we can.”
Despite these assurances, some community members remained unconvinced.
“They have no explanation or map or guideline for it,” Nina Z. said. “So how are we going to trust that they even know what they’re doing, or are going to say or do what they said they were doing in the first place?”
“We want to produce a product that you can look at and examine,” Adams told the crowd, before adding, “Whether we like it or not, folks, data centers are going to be here.”
Some residents also questioned the transparency of the local government, citing delayed open records releases and canceled meetings. At the time of publication, the City of Wisconsin Rapids emphasized that it has not entered into any legal or financial partnership with private businesses pursuing data center projects.