Historic Tallassee mill could become data center; residents urge caution

TALLASSEE, Ala. (WSFA) - One of Tallassee’s most historic landmarks, the long-abandoned 1852 mill along the Tallapoosa River near Thurlow Dam, could be headed for redevelopment. Two businessmen have expressed interest in buying the property and turning it into a data center, a proposal that has sparked vocal opposition from some residents who say the project could come at the expense of the river and the town’s history.

How the proposal surfaced

Mayor Joey Wiginton said the idea surfaced publicly about two weeks ago after he received a letter from a man interested in locating a data center at the old mill site. Wiginton told the City Council about the letter near the end of a meeting and said the city did not yet have concrete details.

“At that point, it was early, early stages. We really didn’t have any information, just some interest,” Wiginton said.

Public reaction so far

Since then, the mayor said feedback from residents has been overwhelmingly negative.

“Oh, not good. Very negative,” Wiginton said.

Why the site matters

The mill, which once processed cotton, has been vacant for years. Wiginton described the building as deteriorating and said the ceiling has fallen in. He called it an eyesore for people crossing the bridge nearby. Still, he said redevelopment at the riverfront site could help boost activity downtown.

“I would love to have something in that building,” Wiginton said. He called it a possible “spark” for Tallassee and said that could mean a hotel, a restaurant or a data center. He said he wants residents to bring forward alternatives, not only criticism.

“That’s what I’m going to ask the people tonight, help me find a solution,” he said. “Don’t just say no or yes, or I don’t care. Say, ‘Joey, this is somebody you could talk to about putting a hotel there.’”

Concerns raised by residents

Wiginton said residents have raised concerns about noise, environmental impacts to the Tallapoosa River and the possibility of higher utility bills.

“They say it makes a tremendous amount of noise,” Wiginton said. He also said he has heard concerns about possible effects on the river’s ecosystem, including claims that water temperatures could rise.

Next steps and expert review

Wiginton said the council plans to bring in experts to explain what impacts a data center could have and said officials are not prepared to make decisions based on rumors.

“It’s a lot of things that we can read about in Google, but we don’t know for sure,” he said. “So we want to bring in experts. And I don’t want to kill the idea, but I want to be educated.”

Size and infrastructure questions

Wiginton said the proposed center has been described as a 10-megawatt project that could grow to 20 megawatts, which he said would be small compared with larger data centers elsewhere. He said he believes noise concerns may be different at that scale and suggested the dam may generate more noise than a smaller facility.

Some Tallassee officials believe the mill’s location near Thurlow Dam could reduce infrastructure strain, particularly for power, because the site is close to Alabama Power’s generator. Councilmember Easterling Carpenter has said data center technology has changed rapidly and that concerns about noise and backup generators have improved in recent years.

Mayor’s bottom line

Wiginton said he would oppose the proposal if it threatens the river or raises power rates.

“If it would do any of those things, raise our rate, if it would hurt the river in any way at all, I’m not for that,” Wiginton said. “We want to protect that river. We don’t want to kill fish or hurt the ecosystem.”

Opposition voices

Tallassee resident Charles Bodenhemer said he does not want a data center built at the old mill and questioned whether the economic benefits would materialize.

“They claim that, ‘oh, it’s going to bring a lot of economic impact.’ It doesn’t,” Bodenhemer said.

Bodenhemer, who described himself as a historian with deep family ties to Tallassee, said he wants the site redeveloped, just not into a data center.

“My family having been here for six generations, I would like to see something useful go in the old mill site, but not a data center,” he said.

Who owns the property and cleanup funding

Wiginton said those behind the proposal have approached the Tallassee Redevelopment Authority, which owns the site, to explore the idea.

The property is also in the process of being declared a federal Brownfields site, a designation that could make federal grants available to help clean up debris from its industrial past.

Bigger picture in Alabama

Tallassee’s debate comes as Alabama sees a growing number of data centers, driven in part by demand related to technology and artificial intelligence. According to the Alabama Department of Commerce, at least 19 data centers are operating or under construction across the state, including major projects tied to companies such as Google and Meta.

What happens next

Wiginton said the council plans to bring in experts to explain the proposed project’s potential impacts before it is presented to the public. He said the issue will eventually go to a public vote.

Sign up for the WSFA Newsletter and get the latest local news and breaking alerts in your email!