Oct. 11, 2025 9a
(WGTD)---Racine County Executive Ralph Malicki says he’s a bit surprised at the pushback in Caledonia that led to Microsoft abandoning a site they had selected for a data center.
Malicki appeared on WPR’s ‘Wisconsin Today’ last week. He noted that the reception Microsoft has received for its data center plan in Mt. Pleasant is markedly different. And Malicki said he fully supports that development. "They're doing things that they said they would do," Malicki said. "And again they're getting deep into community involvement without being asked."
Malicki concedes that the characteristics of the Caledonia site are quite a bit different than that of the Mt. Pleasant tract which had been cleared and ready to go with infrastructure for Foxconn.
Data center developments across the country have drawn increased opposition due in part to environmental concerns, including questions over water usage.
Malicki attributes the opposition he saw in Caledonia to a mix of misinformation and healthy skepticism.
As far as water usage goes, Malicki says he’s seen nothing to trigger alarm bells. "Listening to the Microsoft presentation, they literally can put their data centers in a desert. What the Mt. Pleasant usage was equated to is basically four Olympic-sized pools a year. That's not the billions of gallons that was discussed with the Foxconn project. It's pretty minimal usage," he said.
Microsoft said last week it’s now searching for other sites in southeastern Wisconsin as it continues to develop its campus in Mt. Pleasant. The company has also said it has plans for a site in Kenosha just west of I-94 and north of STH 142.
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