JERSEYVILLE – Jersey County residents gathered for another protest against data centers on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026 in downtown Jerseyville.
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The protest was held from 3 to 6 p.m. and brought dedicated community members with signs, costumes and more to the CVS parking lot. Protesters proudly displayed their opposition to the project to drivers passing through the intersection of Carpenter and State Street. The event also featured music and food for attendees.
The crowd included some current and hopeful Jersey County Board members, including Republicans and Democrats alike who said protecting the county from data center development is a non-partisan issue both parties can agree on. Current board members emphasized they were attending the protest not as county officials, but as concerned county residents.
Fredricka “Freddy” Hatfill, Jersey County Board candidate for District 2, said data centers are not a good fit for rural areas like Jersey County, emphasizing environmental concerns and a need to protect the county’s farmland. She also said data centers are unlikely to bring the same jobs or revenue that an actual business would.
“I’m all about the farmers … as far as our rural farmlands, we need to keep them rural farmlands,” Hatfill said. “Right now, I feel like we are united as Americans. We are not Democrats, we’re not Republicans, we’re Americans fighting for the same thing – what’s best for our community,”
Jerseyville residents Sage and Aiden Yannick both expressed concerns about the proposed data center raising their utility bills and polluting the environment, including constant noise pollution. They asked those opposed to the data center but hesitant about protesting to consider the future they want for the generations of Jersey County residents that follow.
“I think ultimately it’s a matter of, what do you want our community to look like for future generations?” Sage said. “What world to you want your children to have in terms of quality of life and the ability to live safely in their communities?”
County resident Marty Ward said one of his main concerns with the proposed data center is the potential for expansion. He pointed out that the facility is only planned to take up one acre of a seven-acre site and said he has not seen any documentation prohibiting the site from growing if it gets built.
Citing the possible appointment of new Agricultural Area Protection Board members, Ward said county officials need to be prepared to take action soon to stop the data center proposal.
“We’re hoping that this agricultural land use committee kills the project, but if it doesn’t, we’ve got to be ready to take the next steps,” Ward said. Noting the prescience of Democrats and Republicans at the protest, Ward added: “We’re all on the same side when it comes to this.”
To fully form its Agricultural Area Protection Board, which already has two Republican farmers, the County Board needs to appoint two Democrat farmers and one active board member at its next meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. The board could then make recommendations to the full Jersey County Board regarding the protected “ag area” the proposed data center site sits within. Since the land is part of a protected ag area, its use cannot be changed from agricultural to commercial without a public hearing and County Board vote.
This comes just over two weeks after a previous Jerseyville protest against data centers, with more details in this previous story on Riverbender.com.
