PHOTO BY JOHN FRYMAN / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
FLOCK CAMERA CONCERNS … Village resident Lucas Brown (above) addressed concerns regarding Flock camera usage in Pioneer during the regular council meeting on Monday, Sept. 14. Council later rescinded its decision to purchase and utilize the cameras in the village.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
Following a village planning commission meeting held last week regarding a data center proposal, Pioneer Village Council decided to put a six-month moratorium on data centers at its meeting on Monday, Sept. 14.
The moratorium, which can be undone early by another act of council, stops the village from acting on any proposed data centers, but doesn’t mean data centers are never allowed to come into the village. Council voted 6-0 to approve the moratorium.
Tom Cervenka of Cervenka Development Partners had previously told the planning commission of his intention to purchase property currently owned by AquaBounty Technologies to build a 20-megawatt data center in the village.
Council member Brock Zuver, who had seconded the motion to approve the moratorium, commented that he’s done more research since then.
“One of the concerns is high energy usage,” Zuver said. “We know there is a 20-megawatt contract in place for AquaBounty to get guaranteed electricity.
“We know that this can be bought out by another entity. My question was what if this entity wants more?”
He also brought up health concerns involving the sound level of the data centers such as chronic cardiovascular stress, vascular damage, sleep disturbances, cognitive impairment and neurofatigue.
“These vibrations can cause physiological stress marked by persistent irritability, anxiety, and the feeling of pain,” said Zuver. “I don’t know about all of you, but I don’t want to live that way.”
He said the health and well-being of citizens in and around Pioneer are important.
“If it’s a good idea now, it should be a good idea in 180 days,” Zuver commented. “I want to do our due diligence and protect the people of Pioneer and around Pioneer.”
Village Solicitor Tom Thompson said the moratorium doesn’t change the zoning involved, which includes approval from the planning commission and an ordinance voted on by council.
Flock Cameras Rescinded
Resident Charles White addressed council about the decision made last month to purchase automatic license plate readers and bring them into the village.
He said the Flock cameras are unwarranted searches of every vehicle license plate that passes by them, which infringes on everyone’s Fourth Amendment rights.
White commented that 200 cities have canceled, paused or rejected Flock cameras over privacy worries, reports of data-sharing misuse and the high costs involved.
“If I come to you and I want to know if my license plate is reread and it’s been deleted, that becomes an issue for the village and for other cities which by the way have lost lawsuits for those requests, because they can’t produce them,” said White.
He also mentioned that several regional cities have already stopped using Flock cameras, including Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Lansing, Michigan.
White then asked council for a motion to rescind its decision to purchase the Flock cameras. “When this (Flock cameras) comes across the table again, you can just say no to any automatic license plate readers,” he told council.
“We don’t want them in our town, and we all can see that it’s not something that any one of us want.” His wife, Brittany White, also addressed council regarding her concern over the use of Flock cameras.
Brittany White said she was asking council to hear the citizens and ban any sort of cameras or license plate readers within the village limits.
Resident Lucas Brown also addressed council, questioning how Flock cameras work and the controversies associated with the widespread distribution of these systems throughout the state and county.
“There have been numerous security issues with unauthorized personnel being able to access Flock cameras and feeds without the knowledge of law enforcement personnel,” said Brown.
Council member Joe Nickloy made a motion to rescind the decision made last month to purchase and install Flock cameras in Pioneer, with council member Dean Frisbie seconding it. The motion passed by a 6-0 vote.
Pioneer Fire Department Concerns
Resident Jaime Dewitt addressed concerns regarding the lack of fire protection in the village.
Dewitt told council that her son’s apartment was on fire last month and that after making a 911 call, she was scared because she knew of the current state of the fire department and had thought of watching his apartment burn and be a total loss.
To her surprise, two former Pioneer firefighters, Tiler Williams and Tyler Bryner, arrived at the fire scene, with several other former firefighters following. She added that without their help, the whole building would have burned.
She referred to the April 13, 2026, council meeting when 15 firefighters walked out following Mayor Ed Kidston’s decision not to recommend Williams as assistant fire chief.
“Not one of them (fire fighters) that I’ve spoken to wanted to walk out, and it wasn’t a decision they made fast or easy,” said Dewitt.
Dewitt added, “You have all been elected by the people of Pioneer to make a decision and to protect our community, and can you honestly say you have done that.
“You guys let men with 281 years of combined service walk out. They knew their roles and knew what was expected, and it worked. They have always been there for Pioneer, and they did not walk out on us, but they still showed up.
“Their heart is here, and they deserve so much more than what they were shown. They deserve you to go to each and every one of them and talk to them because they’re volunteers. This is not a job; this is a life for them.”
“They (firefighters) leave dinners, baseball games, and whatever they’re doing to go and provide a service for free and they’re not getting paid for to protect us all.
“And none of us are immune from needing that protection. So, I’m asking the council and the mayor to reconsider reinstating our previous fire department.”
Frisbie then made a motion to reinstate the fire department as it was before April 13, 2026, with no action being taken.
Thompson said the appointment of fire department personnel is the responsibility of the mayor, not the responsibility of the council.
“The mayor appoints the personnel of the fire department including the fire chief and assistant fire chief,” Thompson commented.
“It’s his (Mayor) decision and can be ratified by council, but council, on its own accord, cannot appoint fire personnel. That’s not the village’s rule, but the Ohio Revised Code’s.”
Several residents in attendance spoke out and said they want the former firefighters to come back to the department.
“They have been welcomed to come back at any time,” explained Kidston. “My door has been open and not even one has wanted to come back since the moment they quit. I’m not going to apologize; they are the ones that quit.”
Fire Department Report
Fire Chief Don Bertke reported that Engine 71 has been repaired at a cost of $65,773 and has been put back into service on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
Bertke made a recommendation to approve Marley Derringer, Gary Hamrick, Ryan Domitio and Robbie Mills as probationary firefighters. Council voted 4-2 to approve, with Zuver and Frisbie voting no.
Street Improvement Projects
Council approved three ordinances involving three different street improvement projects for the installation of new curbs, storm drainage and sidewalks totaling 1,165 linear feet.
-South Elm Street (Project 1): Reconstruction of South Elm Street from West Mill Street to West Lynn Street (445 linear feet).
-South Elm Street (Project 2): Reconstruction of South Elm Street from West Lynn Street to West Church Street (420 linear feet), including a waterline replacement.
-West Church Street: Reconstruction from South Maple Street to South Elm Street (300 linear feet), including a waterline replacement.
In other business:
-Approved the purchase of a sickle bar mower from Truland Equipment at a cost of $12,584.80. The mower will be used to maintain the grounds in the solar field.
-Approved two change orders pertaining to the 2026 solar infrastructure project.
-Suspended the rules and authorized Village Administrator Anthony Burnett to prepare and submit an application to participate in the Ohio Public Works Commission State Capital Improvement and/or Local Transportation Improvement Programs.
-Approved Trick or Treat hours on Saturday, Oct. 31 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the village.
-Approved the date change for the October council meeting to Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m., from the regular Oct. 12, 2026, meeting date due to attendance at the AMP Annual Conference in Columbus from Oct. 12-14.
Council went into executive session at 8:49 p.m. to discuss personnel matters and took no action before returning from executive session at 9:25 p.m.
With no further business, council then adjourned at 9:36 p.m.