The Waterford Data Center Divide: Data Center Cracks a Small Township Heart

MASH Focus
Holly Kellums
June 21, 2026

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Threats, torn families, lifelong loyalties, attempts at repair, and one trustee between friends, family, pride, and duty — the untold backstory on threats in Waterford and Land Sale of Doug McCutcheon

I realized last night that a lot of people don’t know part of the backstory in the Waterford Data Center Divide. I apologize for not seeing those gaps yesterday, or I would have filled them while hosting the meeting. Anyone looking for facts without a backstory, skip to the bottom.

Hollow threats, torn families, lifelong loyalties, failed attempts at repair, and one trustee between friends, family, land, retirement, pride and duty — here is the untold backstory about fear and intimidation in Waterford, surrounding the Land Sale of Doug McCutcheon.

Imagine a small farm town where everyone knows everyone. Where generations have poured their sweat into the soil, raised families, and built something lasting with their own hands. That’s Waterford, Ohio — a tight-knit community in Washington County that feels more like family than just neighbors. But right now, a proposed data center has split it wide open, turning lifelong friends into strangers and stirring up fear, threats, and heartbreak.

When I first started going door to door, making home visits, attending meetings, and surveying Waterford, most community members — especially those in the middle of this — would only speak anonymously. Their reason? People had received threats to their jobs or livelihoods in the township. Some were even reported threats that they would receive bricks through their windows, or people lurking outside their homes. Intimidation was reported whether they supported the data center, opposed it, were selling land, opposing Doug, defending Doug, or refusing to sell. Accusations flew about things people weren’t doing. Threatening words were put in the mouths of others. Residents from all sides reported it.

Waterford isn’t just an address. It’s a way of life. It’s who these people are — who they taught their kids to be. The same community members, including Jim Black and the late Charlie Schilling Sr., found a way to tap into the endlessly flowing aquifers under the ground without federal funding and built Tri-County Water with their own hands. That level of love and dedication runs deep. So when the divide hit, it hurt really, really bad. Families torn apart. People afraid to look their neighbors in the eye. Unsure if they could stay in their own community, stay whole, and give their children the life they built their lives for— while being demonized for simply asking questions.

The people in Waterford aren’t really fighting over the data center. They’re fighting over their love for Waterford itself — the people in it, their friends and family, their land, and their way of life.

Two weeks ago, things escalated way too far in an online thread involving Doug McCutcheon. Doug is one of the elected Waterford Township Trustees — the local officials who make decisions on zoning, land use, and township matters that directly affect residents. He is also a longtime local who has already sold his own land for the project and has been paid a large amount of money for it. The group got muted entirely. People who won’t sell their land were accused of coming after Doug, there were reported threats to be sued, cars driving past a house and yelling out the window, and an increase in intimidation both in the community and online. Outsiders made threats on behalf of Doug that he wasn’t making. A slight fear for safety layered on top of the general threats to livelihood and social standing.

The official Waterford data center meetings with developers had been deferred to the county commissioners and Doug had been advised to stay in his position as trustee, after he offered to step down. Some people think he should have stepped down anyway. They have organized a petition to remove him. He didn’t do anything illegal, and neither did those organizing the petition. He had the legal right to choose to stay in his position, and they have the right to pursue means of having him removed, if they feel it is a conflict that warrants intervention.

That’s one of the many reasons why I organized the Data Center Discussion Meeting. In my investigations — door-to-door visits and community meetings near the proposed site — I learned that I didn’t find many strictly “pro data center” people in Waterford.

A lot of the anger at the anti-data center folks came from being over-protective of their friend Doug. Or irate with Doug, for what’s come of his choices, and how they felt robbed of a say in things that affected them. Understandably so, for both, on a personal level. But personal and professional got mashed together.

Trustee Doug wears a different hat than friend Doug, and that differentiation often wasn’t being made, on either side.

A lot of people love this man — deep in the depths of their soul. I could get twenty people here right now who would walk through fire for Doug. That kind of loyalty is beautiful in a small town… until emotion, fear, missing information, confusion — and maybe even outside deception — turn it into a wedge.

The meeting I organized brought people to the same table — not to rehash old fights, but to ask,

What the hell do we do now?

Waterford doesn’t know exactly how they got here, but we’re all trying to figure that out. Mistakes were likely made, along the way, on every side. Whether someone didn’t ask because they didn’t want to know, knew and didn’t tell, or simply didn’t know to pay attention because they didn’t know it was going to matter — this flew under the radar for years.

Some people appear to have known what this was going to be, years ago, we are talking 2021 at best, and stayed quiet for years — while families and homesteaders bought land out there and started to build homes. The people of Waterford want to know who that was. But we don’t want to make that so important that it stops us from doing what we need to do now.

We can’t fix everything or bring everyone back together right away. No one can. The cuts are deep. Some so deep that the bitterness and betrayal still tastes too strong for even a chance of any personal reconciliation. But we can still sit down at one table for the sake of Waterford and the affected communities — the table of shared love for this place, its land, its water, and its future. We can still make sure no one gets left behind.

Doug came and added personal comments, dismantling rumors that he’s out for people. Yes, he was hurt too. He expressed that, as well as regret. That doesn’t make him the victim, but he does get to be human. Many locals who are upset with him as a trustee still said they haven’t cast him out forever. Not all. But some who are very affected still say they welcome him on their doorstep again — as long as it’s with respect, no verified wrongdoing, and clear separation between personal friendship and public duty.

We needed to clear that air, so hopefully some people could finally exhale. I know I did. And a few others too.

The sheriff and fire chief were there too, addressing safety and cohesion. I apologize to them for gaps in communication that put them in a line of uncertainty about my questions. I’ll be publishing an article clarifying and thanking them for their demonstrations of community dedication and support.

Yesterday’s meeting was a powerful step. Look out for clips of the speakers! I am really sorry I had some audio issues again. I cannot figure out why that is happening, but will test it out more and get new mics if I have to.

Thank you so much to everyone who came, to the Waterford Township Trustees for allowing the community to speak, ask questions, and share information, and to those willing to sit at the table, even when it’s uncomfortable or scary.

Waterford is more than a fight over development. It’s a story about what happens when big change lands in a place built on generations of quiet strength and dedication to community. The heart of Waterford — the loyalty, the hands that built it, the love for the land — remains their greatest strength. It got cracked by feelings of betrayal, but it’s not gone.

People are still fighting for what they’ve built, and still doing it in true Waterford fashion — with heart, even when it hurts.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​