Wisconsin homeowner vows to fight proposed data-center power line after utility offered $81,000 plus $50,000 to clear a 1,000-by-75-foot corridor and remove six outbuildings

For more than three decades, Jerry Zelenka and his wife have built their Wisconsin property piece by piece, turning raw land into a home surrounded by trees, barns and working outbuildings. Now, a proposed transmission line tied to a planned data center in nearby Port Washington could dramatically alter the property, leaving the 75-year-old homeowner facing the prospect of losing much of what he spent years creating. The Fredonia homeowner says American Transmission Co. has proposed a new route across his property, including a cleared corridor, the removal of six structures and a 130-foot transmission tower near his driveway. He intends to challenge the plan rather than voluntarily accept the terms, states an online report by Washington County Insider.A new Route, a bigger disputeThe current proposal follows an earlier application that the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin rejected as incomplete, according to Zelenka. ATC subsequently submitted a new application featuring revised plans and routes.Under the latest proposal, Zelenka's property would sit along the route now being considered. The planned transmission corridor would stretch roughly 1,000 feet by 75 feet across his land, requiring substantial clearing of trees and vegetation. The affected area includes a shed, chicken coop, hog barn, barn, garage and machine shed. Mature cedars, oaks, ash, elm and black walnut trees would also be removed as part of the proposed clearing.The cost of giving up the landAccording to Zelenka, ATC has offered $81,000 to compensate for the buildings and property impacts. An additional one-time payment of $50,000 is being offered if he signs an agreement at this stage.For Zelenka, the proposed compensation does not come close to replacing what would be lost. He questions how the property could retain its current value with a large transmission tower and high-voltage infrastructure positioned close to the house, states the online report.The proposal would leave the home standing while stripping away much of the surrounding infrastructure that has defined the property for decades. At his age, Zelenka says rebuilding the structures or relocating is not a realistic option.A property built over decadesThe dispute carries particular weight because of the history behind the property. Zelenka and his wife purchased the land on Highway A in the winter of 1990. They cleared the site, sourced timber and built their home themselves, initially living in a shed while construction continued. Over the years, the couple planted hundreds of trees through a state Department of Natural Resources programme and added buildings to the property. Some of the timber used in the barn came from century-old cedar logs Zelenka obtained locally. The landscape is therefore more than a collection of structures and trees. It represents decades of work and investment.Eminent domain at the centreAccording to the online report, the dispute could ultimately extend beyond negotiations. Zelenka is concerned that ATC could pursue eminent domain if property owners refuse to accept the proposed terms.Two neighbouring property owners, who are attorneys, are already challenging the issue in federal court. At the heart of the legal dispute is whether land can be taken for a transmission project primarily intended to serve a private data-center development.For Zelenka, that question is central to the fight. He maintains that the proposed project would fundamentally change his property for infrastructure connected to a private business.As the transmission project moves through the regulatory process, the Wisconsin homeowner remains opposed to surrendering the land voluntarily. What began as a family effort to build a home and cultivate a piece of countryside has become a much larger battle over property rights, infrastructure and the rapidly expanding power demands of data centers.Images Courtesy: Washington County InsiderYou use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.