Following published reports raising questions about the timing of city officials’ awareness of a potential data center project, Mayor Gary Moore responded Friday. The mayor said he had not been approached by a developer about establishing a data center in Kewanee before the City Council adopted its data center ordinance on Aug. 10.

Moore acknowledged receiving a voicemail from Pawel Nowak in early July and said he later had several conversations with him regarding zoning requirements and potential retail development opportunities in Kewanee. However, Moore said Nowak never specifically mentioned a data center during those contacts.

According to Moore, he believed Nowak was primarily interested in retail development, although he said he suspected a data center could ultimately be part of the proposal.

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“I used my cop’s intuition,” said Moore, a retired Kewanee police officer.

Moore said that intuition prompted him to raise the issue of data center regulations during the July 27 City Council meeting. The council subsequently approved an ordinance on Aug. 10 limiting data centers to M-2 manufacturing districts and requiring a special-use permit approved by both the Planning Commission and City Council.

Moore said Nowak later contacted him seeking placement on the agenda for the Oct. 12 council meeting, but the request came too late to be formally scheduled. Nowak instead presented his proposal during the public comment portion of the meeting.