Pokagon Band Calls for Transparency on Dowagiac Data Center Expansion

Tribal leaders express concerns over lack of information from tech company Hyperscale Data Inc.

Apr. 14, 2026 at 2:01am

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A highly detailed, glowing 3D illustration of a complex server rack, with neon blue and pink lights highlighting the intricate digital hardware, conceptually representing the data center expansion in Dowagiac.The proposed expansion of a data center in Dowagiac raises concerns from the local Pokagon Band of Potawatomi over transparency and potential community impacts.Dowagiac Today

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi is calling for more transparency from tech company Hyperscale Data Incorporated as it plans to open an AI data center expansion in Dowagiac, Michigan. Pokagon Tribal Chair Matthew Wesaw says the tribe has significant concerns about the project, including potential noise, water usage, and impact on the local community, but lacks key details from the company.

Why it matters

The Pokagon Band provides significant infrastructure and community project funding to the city of Dowagiac, so they have a vested interest in understanding the full impact of the data center expansion. The tribe's concerns reflect growing tensions between tech companies and local communities over the development of large-scale data facilities.

The details

Hyperscale Data subsidiary Alliance Cloud Services has reached an agreement to acquire nearly 49 acres of land to expand its existing data center campus in Dowagiac. This would more than double the company's current footprint in the region. Dowagiac Mayor Patrick Bakeman has issued an open letter requesting more information from the company, and Pokagon Tribal Chair Matthew Wesaw says the tribe will second that call for transparency.

  • The data center expansion plans surfaced around two months ago when the company issued a brief statement.
  • Mayor Bakeman issued his open letter to the company on April 1, 2026.

The players

Pokagon Band of Potawatomi

A federally recognized Native American tribe with about 6,500 members in Southwest Michigan, including over 1,000 in Dowagiac.

Matthew Wesaw

The Pokagon Tribal Chair, who is speaking out in support of the city's call for more information from Hyperscale Data Inc.

Hyperscale Data Incorporated

A tech company that plans to expand its AI data center operations in Dowagiac through its subsidiary Alliance Cloud Services.

Patrick Bakeman

The Mayor of Dowagiac, who has issued an open letter requesting more transparency from Hyperscale Data Inc. about its expansion plans.

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What they’re saying

“We don't have a lot of thoughts on the project itself because of the lack of information. This surfaced probably two months ago for us when the company put out just a brief statement that they were going to expand their data center operation. That by itself just created a lot of concern for our tribal citizens who live in the city of Dowagiac.”

— Matthew Wesaw, Pokagon Tribal Chair

“The biggest drawback to these data centers is the company's lack of information, purposeful lack of information to the communities, in my opinion. So I'm hearing things about how noise is terrible, it's very loud, it's a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week operation. But then one of our concerns is the water usage. Is it going to be a closed system, open system?”

— Matthew Wesaw, Pokagon Tribal Chair

What’s next

The Pokagon Tribal Council plans to continue pressing Hyperscale Data Inc. and the city of Dowagiac for more information about the data center expansion project and its potential impacts on the local community.

The takeaway

This situation highlights the growing tensions between tech companies and local communities over the development of large-scale data facilities. As these projects become more common, there is an increasing need for open communication, transparency, and collaboration to address the concerns of all stakeholders.