Put the city of Pawhuska on the list of government entities that put the brakes on a possible data center development project.
The city Public Works Authority voted earlier this month for a full moratorium through the end of 2026. During the meeting, protesters outside the hall could be heard shouting, “Residents do not want this data center,” reported KJRH TV news, Tulsa.
The reported developer is Buckley Bros. Holdings, a firm based in Bradenton, Florida, a city south of Tampa. The company reportedly seeks city approval to start building a data center at an abandoned warehouse adjacent to Indian Camp Elementary school.
According to the broadcast report, one speaker before the group claimed to have collected 459 signatures in opposition to the project.
Pawhuska Mayor Steve Tolson believes the power infrastructure is lacking for the data center.
“I have some reservations with our substation,” Mayor Tolson said, reported KJRH.
“I don’t even know if we can handle that. Right now, we’re under construction there.”
The Pawhuska city council had previously voted to consult with Public Service Company of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority about the project.
David Buckley made a presentation at the time to the council.
“The entire facility will be locked,” Buckley said, explaining it would be a closed structure. He said Buckley Bros is financially independent of other interests, reported Osage News.
“Buckley Bros does their own projects with their own money,” he said. The company is looking at acquiring the Pawhuska property by April 1 and being operational within a matter of months, he said.
Buckley Bros Holdings LLC is proposing to convert a 200,000 sq ft vacant building at 1901 E. Boundary in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, into an 8-10MW AI data center. The site, formerly a carpet mill and later a large-scale cannabis cultivation facility, is located approximately 50 miles northwest of Tulsa.
The proposed data center aims to utilize the existing grid capacity, which is adjacent to a 24MW substation with 16MW available. Buckley Bros Holdings, a Florida-based family office investment firm, has a portfolio that includes AI processing and model development.
Buckley, founder and CEO of Buckley Bros Holdings LLC, stated the project represents an opportunity to bring new jobs and investment to Pawhuska.