Couple rejects $131,000 offer for data center power line on their property

Wisconsin homeowner Jerry Zelenka has rejected a $131,000 offer from American Transmission Company (ATC). The money was offered for a proposed power line that would cross his property in Fredonia, Wisconsin, to supply electricity to a planned data centre in nearby Port Washington. Zelenka said the latest proposal calls for clearing mature trees, demolishing six buildings and placing a 130-foot transmission tower near his driveway.​The company has offered $81,000 in compensation for the property impacts, along with an additional $50,000 one-time payment if he signs an agreement now. The 75-year-old homeowner, who bought the land with his wife in 1990, said the proposed changes would leave their house standing while removing much of the property they have built and maintained over the years.Proposed power line threatens trees and buildings​Zelenka said ATC's latest proposal follows an earlier application that, according to him, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin deemed incomplete.