Peck's Farm

10/23/2026

I have said from the beginning that this company planned this project from the sky and the maps.
But our local representatives and county employees? They are on the ground and should have known better.

Don't worry, there are emails that clearly outline their involvement. This wasn't simply a case of them being duped into something without their knowledge or a community picking on them. And that is exactly why I still lose sleep knowing these are the people negotiating on behalf of our community. After the way residents have been publicly treated, it's hard to feel confident that the people at the negotiating table are truly representing the people who have to live with the outcome.

Time and time again, this community has been told to be quiet, then the company will be respectful to landowners and help get them out.

Let that sink in for a minute.

What kind of business strategy is that? Better yet, what kind of political strategy is it? I would be furious if people I represented were treated that way, yet that is the most clever advice they have for us.

Because in the real world, when someone tells you, “Be quiet, and I won't hurt you,” that's not a good neighbor, that sounds like the kind of thing that gets you your own Dateline special.

Respect isn't something you earn by demanding silence from the people affected. And trust isn't built by telling people to sit down, be quiet, and hope for the best.

These are our homes. Our families. Our community. And we have every right to ask questions, demand transparency, and expect the people negotiating on our behalf to remember exactly who they work for.

*Video of land that will become a data center or development of some sort.
*This is my personal opinion and experience and doesn’t reflect any organization.

WTAP Television The Marietta Times Ohio Farm Bureau American Farm Bureau Federation MASH Focus - Publication & Network Farm and Dairy

10/22/2026

10/21/2026

To my community,

I’m sure you’ve seen the drama surrounding footballs, strange Facebook posts, and the overall odd political environment lately. I’m guessing you’re about as frustrated with all of it as I am.
It’s noise.

People are upset about a Friday night picture, when everyone had that same opportunity. They’re concerned about who is getting more attention on Facebook, when they just have to pick up their phone and post every single day. Others are upset that someone is asking questions and poking around, when they could have showed up, answered questions, controlled the tone themselves.

Out here in these hills, we understand that Facebook is a tool. It’s a way to reach people, share information, and have conversations. And guess what? We all have access to it. How much of the drama is because of personal choices and how much is really life being unfair.

While some people claim to have the community’s best interests at heart, much of the conversation seems focused on what feels unfair to them personally or within their own campaigns. And honestly, we can relate to feeling like things aren’t fair. Most of us in Waterford know a little something about that, don’t we.

But while some people are distracted by hurt feelings, campaign frustrations, and not getting their way, I’m sitting here shocked that we seem to have lost sight of the bigger picture.

Because right now? This is the easy part.
Just wait until after the first of the year. That’s when life is going to get real for some of the newly elected and this community. We get to watch a data center rise from corn fields.

I worry when people who want to serve this community become so focused on their own frustrations, before Election Day has even arrived, they’ve forgotten that some of us are dealing with grown-up problems that don’t disappear on November 3.

Some of us are watching the community we love change in ways we never imagined. Some of us feel surrounded. Some of our neighbors don’t feel they can speak openly about what’s happening. And some of us have even been told to be careful not to be mean to the developers, so they will be nice to us and give us the option to get out from under this project.
And we’re arguing over Facebook posts and Friday night pictures.
Perspective matters. Leadership matters. And remembering the people you want to represent matters.

This election matters. I know that better than most. But it should be about more than who got the most attention, and whose feelings got hurt.
It should be about the people who live here. Because when the campaign is over, the real problems will still be here.

And some of us have been living with the reality of this for a long time already. We know that, regardless of who wins in November, this is our future, and the consequences won't disappear when the election is over.

Please pay attention to who actually shows up and who contributes to the noise because we have grown up problems and we need grown up responses.
Amber ✌️

*This is my personal opinion and doesn't reflect any organization*

MASH Focus - Publication & Network Dawn Pritchett WTAP Television Farm and Dairy Washington County (OH) Democratic Party The Marietta Times Gary Peck

10/18/2026

I keep saying I need to run away… a vacation is WAY past due. Apparently, Donkey feels the same way because he decided to take himself for a little trot down the road. 😂

A huge THANK YOU to the neighbors and drivers who kept an eye on my little buddy and made sure he was safe! ❤️

I’m sure an ass trotting down the main road wasn’t on anyone’s BINGO card today, but here we are. 🤣🐴

Apparently, we ALL need a vacation around here! 😂

10/17/2026

Some days, I honestly can’t believe this is my reality. The the last three years feel so surreal, I have to stop and remind myself that this is actually happening.

You never really know how much your life can change until you find yourself living a reality you never could have imagined. And some days, I’m still trying to wrap my head around ALL of it. 💔

10/16/2026

“The best thing to happen to Washington County in a decade.” That’s how officials have described a hyperscale AI data center compound moving into our little corner of the world.

But those of us living under the map have a very different perspective.

Maybe we were naive. Naive to think our property rights would mean something. Naive to think the people we elected would remember that our homes and families were on that map, too. And naive to think they would be willing to fight for the people whose lives are directly affected.

From where we stand, it’s hard not to notice what appears to be an ongoing relationship between local officials and the company. We see them together at the fair, hear about livestock purchases, and hear about meetings and negotiations unfold. Meanwhile, those of us living under the map are left wondering where we fit into all of this.

What I can’t understand is why the people representing us aren’t fighting just as hard for us.

I’ve come to realize something, though. Silence is a choice. Saying you don’t know is a response. Choosing not to ask questions, push for answers, or stand up for the people affected has consequences, too.

And when those choices are made by the people we elected to represent us, we have every right to ask why.

We need people in those seats who are willing to roll up their sleeves and do the work. People who will ask the hard questions, demand transparency, and remember that economic development should never mean forgetting the people who already call this place home.

Because here’s the thing: I’m not against progress. I’m against progress that treats the people standing in its way as if they don’t matter.

The best thing about Washington County has never been a company, a project, or a promise of economic growth. It’s the people.

The families who built their lives here. The neighbors who look out for one another. The people whose homes, land, and family legacies are now caught up in something they never asked for.

We are under the map, but we are not invisible.

And we deserve representatives who remember that

MASH Focus - Publication & Network The Columbus Dispatch The Marietta Times WTAP Television Farm and Dairy DJI Wenda Sheard for Ohio Ohio Farm Bureau Stephanie Lang for Washington County Commissioner Justin Harris for Washington County Commissioner Dawn Pritchett Debbie Pritchett Ohio Power

10/16/2026

Gary’s first year voting, and this man is collecting political signs like our kids used to collect Pokémon cards. 😂🇺🇸

There’s a lot more on the line with this election, though, and as you can see, we’re definitely Independent in the way we approach things. We’re hanging our hats on a Democrat, a Republican, AND an Independent! We’re more interested in people who will listen, stand up for our community, and work for the people than we are in sticking to a party label.

Here’s to a year of change, a little common sense, and hopefully support for our communities future. 🤞🏻🇺🇸

*This is our personal opinion and PROPERTY and this doesn't reflect any organization

Justin Harris for Washington County Commissioner Stephanie Lang for Washington County Commissioner Wenda Sheard for Ohio MASH Focus - Publication & Network

10/13/2026

Did you see the newest MASH Focus - Publication & Network post? They refused the certified letter.

Now, this may not seem like a big deal to most people, but I’ll admit, I’m a little relieved. Not because information was refused, but because this is the first tangible refusal of information that this community has received.

You see, on the inside, we’ve been dodged. We’ve received the “Thank you for your comment” shutdown. We’ve watched some residents get called out by name in what felt like an attempt to intimidate, while others have made comments that never seemed to make it into the minutes. We have made the calls, asked the questions and was dodged. And some have walked away from conversations feeling like they’ve received backhanded threats.

Most of it has been subtle. Just enough to make you question yourself. Enough to leave you wondering if you’re overreacting, misunderstanding, or imagining things.

Meanwhile, residents have been told to follow the process. Ask the questions. Attend the meetings. Submit the requests. Do things the right way.

And now, when someone follows THEIR process, the letter is waiting in the Post Office. They didn't sign for it.

For once, there’s something tangible for everyone to see. Something people can point to. Something that doesn’t require explaining away a conversation or trying to remember exactly how something was said.

We received the message loud and clear. Again.

So, let’s ask a simple question: If this is the best thing to happen to Washington County, why can’t we talk about it?
And when we hear “do whatever it takes,” what did that really mean? What did it take?

The longer this goes on, the more I realize that November is about more than an election. It’s about the kind of leadership this area needs moving forward. Leadership that understands

*This is my personal opinion and experience and does not reflect any organization.

If you are new here, my agricultural community is getting a Hyperscale data center. Taxpayers fund supported the recruitment and land acquisitions. A public records request is now on day 74, everyone was told to follow the process but the certified letter is sitting in the post office at the request of the customer. They didn’t sign for it. So, we wait…….

WTAP Television The Marietta Times

10/12/2026

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do." Mark Twain



Ohio Farm Bureau Farm and Dairy

10/11/2026

NDAs seem to be where people get hung up. The term sounds intimidating, and when attorneys get involved, people naturally become concerned. I have my fingers crossed that the Ohio Legislature will pass the proposed bills prohibiting public officials from signing these agreements. But here’s the thing: No one can force a public official to sign an NDA. Whether it was legally permissible or not, the company was not going to walk away from Waterford simply because a document wasn’t signed. At its core, that makes this a moral decision—a choice that reflects values.

My biggest problem with everyone getting hung up on the legal document is the repeated suggestion that officials can’t talk about the project. They can talk about it, and they have disclosed little crumbs of information along the way.

But let’s go back to May 2025. I was upset about the first offer, and my husband picked up the phone and called people who are paid with taxpayer dollars. There was no NDA at that point, yet they still would not tell us what was moving into our community. That was a choice made by individuals without a legal gag preventing them from answering.

These were people we had known, talked to, and dealt with before. Yet they danced around the question. That was the moment we knew we were in trouble. And, of course, there were social media posts and a barroom confession afterward suggesting that information had been withheld from the community.

There is another contradiction that deserves an explanation. I have been told during our farm visit that local officials receive weekly phone calls from the company, along with monthly meetings. So which is it? Are officials receiving no contact and no information, or are they receiving regular updates? Either way, there is a serious disconnect between what constituents are being told and what appears to be happening behind the scenes.

I’ll add one more piece to that puzzle. I personally received a phone call questioning a resident’s honesty about not having a contract. I was told by someone in our local offices that, based on private property contract information, this individual had signed a contract and was not being truthful with me.

The problem? They had confused the contract with that of the neighboring property.
Think about that for a moment. Private contract information was being discussed, but the details were apparently confused between neighboring properties. This raises a legitimate question: If local officials have no information about these agreements, how did this confusion happen in the first place?

And there are countless other problems with the “we have no information” narrative.
Fair purchases and the relationships surrounding them raise questions about whether the relationship between the company and local officials is as limited as we have been led to believe.

Then there are details I was privy to and shared with only a handful of people on the ground. Yet, during our visit with local officials, I discovered that they were familiar with those same details. That raises another question: If information is so restricted, how are local officials learning details that have only been shared with a select few? Someone is talking. The question is who, what is being shared, and why the public is being left in the dark.
This isn't simply about NDAs. It's about transparency, choices, and accountability. We can debate the legality of a document all day, but we also need to examine the decisions people made when no such document prevented them from speaking.

And here's where I think we need to have a bigger conversation: Waterford didn't make this about Progress vs. People. Local officials and this company did.

The responsibility to change that narrative rests with them. They have the opportunity to stop treating residents' questions as opposition and start treating them as a legitimate part of the process. They can choose transparency, acknowledge the concerns, and work toward rebuilding trust.

Until that happens, residents will continue to find themselves on the defensive, constantly trying to prove that their questions are reasonable and their concerns are legitimate.
And trust me, being on the defensive is not a great place for a community to be. We should be working toward a future where progress and people aren't treated as opposing sides—because we all matter.

*This is my personal opinion and experiences and does not reflect any organization.

MASH Focus - Publication & Network The Marietta Times Farm and Dairy Appalachians Against Data Centers