Preserving Staunton, VA · Fighting Big Tech Overreach · One Post at a Time
290+
New Data Centers Planned
$11.24
Dominion Rate Hike / Month
5M
Gallons Water / Day / Center
68%
Internet Controlled by 3 Cos
69
Current Group Members
📋 Ready Posts
📝 Substack → Posts
📅 Weekly Calendar
⚡ Workflow Tips
📌 Pin This
Post 1: The Opener
📍 Staunton, VA — We built this place with our hands.
Now they're building data centers up in Northern Virginia that drink 5 million gallons of water a day — enough for 50,000 people — while Dominion just hit us with an $11.24/month rate hike and Loudoun County had month-long drought restrictions.
This group isn't about politics. It's about noticing.
If you've ever looked at a self-checkout lane at the Staunton Walmart and felt something die inside, you're in the right place.
Drop your name and what local spot you'd hate to see replaced by an Amazon warehouse. 👇
🪝 Local Hook
Post 2: The Local Hook
Northern Virginia just got clearance to build out data centers demanding 70,000 megawatts of power daily. That's almost TRIPLE what all of Dominion Energy's customers used on the coldest day this past winter.
They also got a fresh $11.24/month rate increase. Drought conditions hit Loudoun County so hard they had mandatory water restrictions. And the Potomac River Basin could fail to meet water needs by 2030.
Sound familiar?
Big Tech doesn't build with communities. They build on top of them.
What's the biggest "development" project in the Staunton/Augusta County area that nobody asked for?
💣 Engagement Bomb
Post 3: The Engagement Bomb
Image text to create (Canva / free):
"1963: They killed a president and built ARPANET 6 years later.
2026: 3 companies control 68% of the internet.
Virginia data centers used 2.1 BILLION gallons of water in 2023.
Coincidence?"
---
Caption:
I don't do tinfoil. I do receipts.
Virginia now hosts more than half of ALL U.S. data center energy consumption. Commercial electricity sales here jumped nearly 30 million megawatt-hours between 2019 and 2025. And Dominion's planning $50 billion in grid upgrades — with $17 billion of it tied directly to data center growth.
If you've ever wondered why your electric bill keeps climbing, or why every app feels the same now — it's not your imagination.
The infrastructure is centralized. The power is concentrated. And Staunton is downstream from all of it.
Tag someone who needs to read this.
💬 Conversation Starter
Post 4: The Conversation Starter
Be honest: When's the last time you talked to a cashier at the Staunton Kroger instead of using self-checkout?
Not judging. Just asking.
Because every time we choose the machine over the person, we're voting for a world where the machine is all that's left. Dominion's already pushing a new rate class where data centers get special treatment while residential bills climb. Virginia gives data centers a $1.6 billion annual sales tax break on server equipment.
What's one local Staunton business you make a point to visit IN PERSON?
🛠️ Value Drop
Post 5: The Value Drop
TOOL: Want to see where the internet actually lives?
us-east-1 (Northern Virginia) processes 30-40% of ALL Amazon Web Services traffic. Within 40 miles of the Pentagon.
One region. One power grid. One storm away from chaos.
If you're in Staunton/Augusta County, here's why that matters:
• Same grid. We're on Dominion Energy's system. Their peak winter load hit 25,413 MW this year — 45% higher than 2019. PJM expects summer demand to grow 5.4% per year for the next decade. That strain doesn't stay in NOVA.
• Same water stress. Data centers pull hardest in summer when river flows are lowest. The Potomac Basin could fail to meet needs by 2030 in a drought. Indirect water use for power generation makes up 75% of total data center water consumption. That water doesn't grow on trees.
• Same bill. Dominion's $50.1 billion capital plan includes a proposed $1 billion super high-voltage transmission line to feed data center hubs. Guess whose rates fund the infrastructure?
Know your terrain. 🗺️
[Link to your Substack deep-dive]
⭐ Extra
Post 6: Staunton-Specific Follow-Up
Throwback Thursday twist:
The old Lee High building. Goshen Pass. The Stonewall Jackson Hotel. These are Staunton's bones.
Now picture this: Central Virginia is expecting 290+ new data centers. That's on top of the 200+ already choking Loudoun County. The state could see nearly 1,300 total.
They're not building them in Fairfax because the grid's already broken there. They're looking south and west.
What piece of Staunton's history or landscape would you fight to keep if they came knocking?
Drop a photo or a memory. 👇
📝 Paste Your Substack Text Here
Monday
Local Spotlight Shout out a Staunton business, park, or building. Tag them if they have a page.
Tuesday
The Receipt Drop a stat, news clip, or Dominion filing. Hard numbers hit harder than opinions.
Wednesday
Poll or Question "Would you rather keep your local grocery store or get 2-day Amazon delivery?"
Thursday
Throwback Thursday Old Staunton photos, memories of Lee High, Goshen Pass stories. Nostalgia = engagement.
Friday
The Forward Tease your latest Substack with 2 sentences. Link goes in first comment, not the post.
Saturday
Meme / Relatable Screenshot a self-checkout fail. Caption it with Staunton flavor.
Sunday
Community Check-In "What are you building, growing, or fixing this week?" Low effort, high warmth.
🎯 Monthly Theme Rotation
Week 1: Infrastructure & Dominion rates
Week 2: Water stress & drought
Week 3: Local history & preservation
Week 4: Big Tech concentration & alternatives
Rotate so the group doesn't fatigue on one topic. Keep it fresh.
⚡ The 30-Minute Rule
You post. You sit there for 30 minutes and reply to EVERY comment with a follow-up question. Not "thanks" — a question. This signals Facebook to push your stuff into more feeds.
Example replies:
• "What year was that?"
• "Where exactly was that located?"
• "Do you think they'd try that here?"
• "Who else remembers this?"
🔗 Link Strategy
Facebook buries posts with outbound links in the main text.
DO: Write your post. Put "Link in comments 👇" at the end. Paste the Substack URL as the FIRST comment immediately after posting.
DON'T: Paste links in the main post body. Facebook's algorithm treats it as an exit signal and throttles reach.
📹 Go Live Once a Week
Even 5 minutes. Walk downtown Staunton. Point at a building and tell its story. Or rant about a Dominion bill. Facebook pushes Lives harder than any other format.
Pro tip: Announce it 24 hours ahead in the group. "Going live tomorrow at 7 PM to talk about [topic]."
🎯 Recruit the Right 31 Members
You're at 69. Hit 100 and Facebook starts recommending the group organically.
Don't mass-invite. Personally message 10 people who actually live in Staunton and would post, not just lurk.
Script: "Starting something for people who give a shit about Staunton not turning into Loudoun County. You in?"
📌 Pin a Welcome Post with Rules
Even loose rules set the tone:
• No partisan warfare — local focus only
• Local stories and photos encouraged
• Sources welcome, fear-mongering not
• "If you see something, say something" — zoning hearings, development notices, etc.
🛠️ Use Facebook's Built-In Tools
• Polls: Zero-effort engagement. Algorithm loves them.
• Events: Bluegrass in the Park Wednesdays 7-9 PM — create a group event. Facebook pushes event activity.
• Guides: Make a "Staunton Resources" guide with links to Augusta County zoning boards, Dominion rate case filings, your Substack.