Some people not thrilled about cryptocurrency company coming to Pitt County

GREENVILLE, Pitt County — Compute North, a cryptocurrency company is ready to invest more than $50 million into a new location in Belvoir, but residents are hesitant.

People who live nearby are concerned that the data center is going to be too loud.

The company’s CEO said with the measures they take, people won’t notice the noise above the other ambient sound in the areas.

“How you hear it now, that’s how it’s always been," said ?? "Peace and quiet, and this is how we would like it to remain.”

That’s the sound Lisa Tyson and Tammy Bradley are used to at their home right next to Belvoir Elementary School. They said their family has owned it for more than 100 years.

”This is our family land,” they said.

But, they are concerned that could all change with their potential their new neighbors, Compute North.

“We don’t want to hear noise,” they said.

And it’s not just their concern, as Molly Holemansaw is also worried.

“It’s gonna create a non-stop loud hum,” said Holemansaw.

Compute North CEO David Perrill said the company does what they can to ensure the center doesn’t disrupt the lives of people who live near it.

“We feel we have the facts and the data that support our fact that the sound will be much below the zoning requirements and ultimately the 50 decibels," said Perrill.

He said the center shouldn’t be an eyesore for the community because some trees on the existing land will stay and sight barriers will be put in as well.

He also said people could even see a decrease in their electric bills.

“In situations when the grid or energy provider, or Duke, whoever it is, either they have high pricing or high demand," said Perrill. "The great thing about our operation is that we can check out. We can curtail our load to whatever is needed at those points in time.”

The company also plans to add 27 jobs with an average salary of $56,000 but Tyson and Bradley said the noise the center could sound off might not be worth the less than 30 added jobs.

“Thirty jobs will be good, but there’s millions of jobs available because of COVID-19, there’s other land, why right here by this school?,” they said.

If approved by the county commissioners in November, the company said it could be fully operational this December.