Bitdeer Technologies Group, a Singapore-based cryptocurrency and mining platform, and the local firm Geis Development have teamed up to install a data center complex in Shalersville, but significant obstacles remain — especially public backlash and township opposition.
Bitdeer reportedly is under contract to buy more than 250 acres of the Turnpike Commerce Center, located near the Ohio Turnpike interchange, according to News 5 Cleveland.
According to a website Geis Companies and Bitdeer created about the project, phase 1 would see a 51,500-square-foot office building and two 48,000-square-foot technology information center buildings installed on the Geis-owned property near the Ohio Turnpike interchange just south of Beck Road. The companies estimate that should take about three years, after which a five-year phase 2 expansion project would see 12 more 48,000-square-foot buildings on nearby Geis-owned land.
It may never happen: Shalersville has had moratoriums on data centers in place since October 2024, with trustees signing the latest six-month extension April 7. Geis wants the township trustees to greenlight the project as a conditionally permitted use, but the trustees are working with their own legal counsel to make the moratorium permanent.
Bitdeer and Geis remain undeterred. Company representatives held an open house May 29 to provide concerned residents with their side of the story. The Portager reached out to Geis but received no response.
Protests were ongoing before and after the open house, with people from across the county and beyond holding signs as they lined Beck Road. Petitions were being circulated to put a statewide ban on large data centers on the November ballot.
The project website states the facility will cool itself by continuously recycling water: “Liquid loops through sealed pipes, absorbs heat, and is recirculated and re-cooled,” the website states. And, since water will be supplied though existing infrastructure that will remain within an allotted daily capacity, the township’s water system will not be strained.
In an interview with The Portager, Portage County Water Resources Director Dan Blakely said the county could handle the proposed plant's water needs, even if that need is up to 150,000 gallons a day. Wastewater may be another story.
“The wastewater plant that serves that area is residential only,” he said. “We do not take commercial wastewater. If, let's say, that they have bathrooms and kitchen, just domestic use water, we can treat that water, but if they were to try to send us water that may have chemicals in it, that's something that we are not prepared to deal with.”
Bitdeer may have to treat its wastewater on-site and haul it away under EPA guidelines, or may have to pretreat it to a level that the county can accept, even though it would be from a commercial source, Blakely said.
The county, he said, has not been contacted.
“Those would be the first questions we would ask. How much water do you plan on needing to be processed, how much wastewater do you need processed, and what type of wastewater are you trying to discharge? Then we would have to dig in and find out what is potentially in that water and how it would be treated, so that it can be recycled properly,” Blakely said.
From her seat on the Ohio House Data Center Study Commission, State Rep. Heidi Workman told The Portager more needs to be known about data centers’ water usage and discharge. The commission is working to resolve what she termed “inconsistencies” in the Ohio EPA’s testimony about data centers.
“I think at this point, it's very important that the county water department be involved in these conversations, because a majority of the concern is related to water usage and discharge. This project will be tying into the county water supplies, so they need to have a seat at the table,” she said.
As a Data Center Study Commission member, Workman hears input from all sides, including state agencies, the general public, data center developers and operators and local elected officials.
“We're taking this very seriously,” she said. “We're hoping to have some recommendations by next week to potentially put restrictions and guardrails around the development of data centers, going forward.”
Potential legislation could follow, with an expectation that it could pass prior to mid-June, when the House leaves for summer recess.
Shalersville Township Trustee Frank Ruehr, Jr. said he’d done all he could to be open and transparent with everyone. That includes attorneys, representatives from Geis and Bitdeer and the general public.
At this point, people who want to know the trustees’ thoughts can attend a June 16 meeting at the township hall at 5:30 p.m. Expected to be in attendance are Geis and Bitdeer representatives, Portage County commissioners and Workman.
“The state is working on ways to protect small municipalities and townships such as ourselves,” Ruehr said. “We are exploring every avenue, whether it be the EPA or Akron water works, or soil and water or Portage County water department, the state of Ohio, and we’re going to continue to work toward the conclusion and have a decision before our moratorium ends the first week of November.”
Ruehr noted that Shalersville led the county when it placed its first moratorium on data centers and related services in November 2025. On Jan. 26 of this year, the trustees added “like businesses” to the moratorium, noting that examples include Bitcoin mining and AI.
Moratorium aside, the pressure is real, Ruehr acknowledged.
“There's a big push for these across the United States, from the president clear down to, as you well know, our governor, giving billions of dollars in sales tax, so, I mean, there's a lot of pressure, and we're looking at all options to protect the town, one way or the other,” he said.
After researching the project and data centers in general, Portage County Commissioner Mike Tinlin attended Friday’s open house to gain a more complete local picture.
“I talked, without exaggerating, to at least 100 people on Friday. And I only came across a handful of people who would like to see this. I think the cons totally outweigh the pros,” he said.
The matter should be put on the ballot for residents to approve or reject, he suggested.
“I see absolutely no problem doing that. Between everybody worrying about the water and the electric poles and the usage and rates going up, I think we have enough problems going on right now in the world. We definitely don't need that in our area,” he said.
Though he does not reside in Shalersville, Tinlin underscored his responsibility to all residents throughout the county.
“You still have to worry about what they want, what they say, how they feel. And if it's going to be disruptive to that area, even in the county, for that matter, I have to go with what the people say, and they don’t want it,” he said.
Tinlin also expressed concern about a class action lawsuit Bitdeer’s investors filed against the company in December 2024. The legal filing in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York alleged that the company violated federal securities laws. The case remains unresolved.
“It pretty much tells you they don’t do what they say they’re going to do. Those are the people that you really shouldn't be doing business with,” Tinlin said.
Echoing Tinlin, Workman said she would like to see the Shalersville project put on the ballot for local voters to decide. She also agreed with him that the federal lawsuit is a concern.
The county commissioners may not have a voice in the Shalersville project, but must become knowledgeable about issues of local concern so they can advocate for township trustees and constituents alike, county Commissioner Sabrina Christian-Bennett said.
The learning curve is long, and no one wants to feel blindsided or pushed into a decision when so much is at stake, she said.
Of Bitdeer, she said, “They’re a very fine tuned machine. They know how to answer the questions. There’s still that part of you that’s like, ‘Maybe they’re pulling the wool over my eyes.’”
Or maybe Bitdeer has learned from prior projects and from hearing from residents in other communities how to address issues and concerns, she said. Either way, now is not the time for snap judgements.
“I am still gathering information and conducting research to better understand the opportunities, challenges and long-term impacts such a project could have on our community,” she said, specifying economic development, job creation, infrastructure needs, energy consumption, environmental considerations and overall benefits to Portage County. “I look forward to learning more and hearing from residents, stakeholders and experts before drawing any conclusions.”
Wendy DiAlesandro
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.