Frankfort plan commission will hold a public hearing on the proposed data center July 23 at 5:30. One local elected official, Ed Cripe, Clinton County Coroner says this would not be the right direction for the future of Frankfort. If you want to voice your opinion on this or anything affecting our community, let us know:
kevin@knsradioonline.com
Kevin Keith
7/20/25
With being a resident of Clinton County and the City of Frankfort my entire life. I want to put something out to the community.
Issues experienced by small cities and rural communities are multiple, ever changing and unique to their place. Slow growing and shrinking rural areas like in Frankfort and Clinton County are finding out that their policies are not bringing the prosperity they seek. In addition, many rural areas are struggling with loss of farmland, amenities and businesses.
Many small cities and rural communities are increasingly facing the impact of corporations trying to bully their way into communities by throwing money at them for a quick fix and local officials see an immediate impact but not the long term potentially detrimental impact a community could face.
Here are a couple things small cities and rural communities, like Frankfort and Clinton County are doing but should be strengthened to help their environment, economics, provide better quality of life for residents and enhance local assests.
Ensure standards are followed for planning where development should or should not go can help a rural community encourage growth in a city or county, where businesses can thrive on a walkable Main Street and families can live close to their daily destination.
Encouraging that all policies are followed that protect the rural landscape can help preserve open spaces, protect air and water quality, provide places for recreation and create tourist attractions that bring investments into the local economy.
A comprehensive approach to planning for growth or managing decline can support cohesive, community-centered framework for meeting the current evolving needs of small cities and rural communities like ours. Tools such as better zoning codes, more aggressively seeking local economic development and more community engagement are key elements that form the foundation of sustainable and equitable growth and revitalization. The City of Frankfort and Clinton County need to focus on bringing in businesses and developments that will grow our community and give your resident a better quality of life not destroy it. Therefore, the new proposed data center would move the City of Frankfort and Clinton County in the wrong direction.
Ed Cripe