LETTER: People suffering data center angst still not getting help

To Ozaukee Press:

The strength of a community is not measured only by what it builds. It is measured by how it treats the people who call it home.

For more than a year, residents living closest to the Vantage data center development have described noise, anxiety, stress and sleepless nights. They did not choose this disruption. Yet they live with its consequences in the very place where they should feel most at peace—their own homes.

Mayor Ted Neitzke has said support has been provided. But when I asked nearby residents if they felt supported, many told me the help was sufficient—or that they felt no support at all.

At least 20 residents still have not received the help they need. Helping some matters, but it cannot be the finish line while others are still waiting.

In his book, “Go To Your Storm,” Mayor Neitzke urges people to face difficult situations. Those neighbors are weathering a storm he helped create.

They need leadership willing to stand beside them—not simply assure them that enough has been done.

Mayor, listen directly to affected residents. Take their mental-health concerns seriously. Provide a clear plan for meaningful support, with a timeline and a named person responsible for following through. Assurances must become action.

And to my fellow citizens: We do not have to agree on every aspect of this project to agree that our neighbors deserve to be heard and helped. Listen to their experiences. Stand beside them. Ask our leaders what help is coming—and when.

These residents have shown resilience. They should not have to keep proving it to receive help. Let us be the community that turns concern into compassion and compassion into action. No neighbor should have to weather the storm the mayor brought to Port Washington alone.

Tracy Finch

Port Washington