Lyon Township residents filled the planning commission meeting Monday evening, for another long night of fiery public comment, as many continue to fight a proposed data center. 

“I moved to the country because I wanted to live in a peaceful place, and so far, it is becoming not peaceful,” said one of the residents during public comment.

In September 2025, the Lyon Township Planning Commission approved a 1.8 million-square-foot, six-building data center on 172 acres off Milford Road near South Lyon, and since then, residents have been fighting to keep that development out of their community. 

“Who wants to live next to a data center? I live within a mile, and nobody wants that. I have a neighbor on 12 Mile (Road), he can’t sell his house, he’s had it for sale since December,” Lyon Twp resident Nancy Hopkins said.  

The project, known as Project Flex, is being developed by Verrus. In late May, an attorney representing Verrus submitted a Final Site Plan response letter arguing the project meets all applicable Planning Commission conditions, township codes, and zoning ordinances. In the letter, Verrus warned the township that if approval is further delayed, they will pursue legal action.

“There is no integrity here, right. They speak about being a good neighbor here, but good neighbors don’t blackmail their neighbors or their township, and that’s what is happening here,” said Melissa Noble.

State Sen. Jim Runestad, who opposes the data center, was one of the dozens to speak during public comment Monday night. Runestad has proposed a one-year moratorium on data centers in the state. 

“This is not in opposition to innovation or economic growth. I support responsible development, but what is happening here in Michigan and in Lyon Twp is not responsible. It is rushed, opaque, and dismissive of the very people this project will most directly affect,” said Runestad.

CBS News Detroit reached out to Verrus and received the following statement: 

“Project Flex has met all applicable township requirements following a comprehensive review process that included extensive studies on water use, noise, traffic, energy, and environmental impacts. Throughout that process, the project team addressed community feedback and incorporated additional measures beyond those required by township standards.

Those studies demonstrated that Project Flex is designed to use 99% less water than legacy data centers, maintain sound levels at or below approximately 50 dB(A) at the property boundary during normal operations, comparable to an office building, and satisfy the energy review requirements established through the township’s approval process.

While we recognize that not everyone supports the project, we are grateful for the support of residents, community leaders, civic organizations, labor partners, and businesses throughout Lyon Township. Project Flex is expected to generate up to $40 million for Lyon Township, up to $265 million for state and local education, up to $35 million for Oakland County, and up to $8 million for regional institutions, including libraries, the Huron-Clinton Metroparks, the Detroit Zoo, and the Detroit Institute of Arts over the first 17 years of the project.”

COLUMBIA — The Columbia School Board unanimously approved a $390.7 million budget for the 2026-27 school year at its meeting Monday.

Chief Financial Officer Heather McArthur presented a summary of the proposed budget again, as she did at a public hearing June 3. The vote was one of the last items on the Monday meeting’s agenda.

According to previous KOMU 8 reporting, the budget predicts spending to be nearly $11.7 million above expected revenue for next year.

Columbia Public Schools is planning to dip into reserves to cover the rising costs. Columbia School Board President John Lyman said he doesn’t know how much is in the reserves, but that the district is always watching to make sure there is enough money.

“A big part of the budget that we do is making sure that we always have at least three months worth of reserves in there,” Lyman said. “You’ve got to make sure you have those cash reserves for those expenses and things that you have.”

Lyman said one of the biggest changes from last year’s budget are the resources that are no longer granted by funding from the federal government. 

“So rather than cutting those services, cutting those programs and things for our students— we’re rolling that into our budget, so that we can keep that educational experience going,” Lyman said.

Health Science High School

The school board also heard a presentation from Director of Workforce Development Katie Siegel about the new Health Science High School that could be implemented as soon as Fall 2027.

The new school would partner with MU Health Care, and it would be considered a lottery status school. This would be the first high school lottery school in the district.

Before the presentation, Superintendent Jeff Klein noted the initiative is still in an ongoing process, but the steering committee overseeing this program wanted to share their progress and get more feedback.

Columbia Public Schools currently has five lottery schools that each have a specialized focus:

• Ridgeway Elementary School, which has individually guided education and multi-age classrooms
• Locust Street Expressive Arts Elementary School, an arts school
• Two Mile Prairie Elementary School, a school with an agriculture focus
• Benton Elementary School, which emphasizes science, technology, engineering and math
• Jefferson Middle School, a STEM and arts school (STEAM)

According to a presentation at Monday’s meeting, the curriculum for the school would be designed to support a healthcare-focused learning experience. This would include simulation labs, introduction to healthcare pathways and hands-on learning.

“The students would be arriving in their scrubs and their classes would be seen through a healthcare lens,” Siegel said. “In addition to the healthcare curriculum focus, they would also be visiting the hospital, they’d be doing job shadowing and they would also have a mentor through the MU Health Care system.”

Siegel said the small pilot program would launch in the 2027-28 school year and would be housed at one of the existing high schools.

For the past three or four years, Columbia Public Schools has been looking to have a new high school with a focused curriculum, district spokesperson Michelle Baumstark said. It wasn’t until six months ago that a steering committee started to put this plan into action.

Siegel noted the school would be modeled after other similar out-of-state programs, including a school in Houston.

According to Siegel’s presentation, MU Health Care and Columbia Public Schools will identify the pathways students will train for based on workforce shortages and community needs.

“As part of our workforce development implementation, we want to provide choice for our students,” Siegel said. “We’re looking to increase that local talent pipeline into healthcare right here in our community of Columbia.”

Lyman said he believes this program would be a good opportunity for the Columbia community.

“A lot of folks have family members who are in the medical field,” Lyman said. “So, bringing that down into our schools to where they can start to have some of those experiences to get ready for potentially going out and getting jobs in those fields, is a cool thing.”

Siegel said the next steps in developing the Health Science High School is to get community feedback and spread the word about this program by meeting with parents, surveying students and informing to incoming high school classes about the program. 

The cost of the new program is uncertain, as it is too early in the process to give an estimate, according to Baumstark.