Letter to the editor: Churchill residents understand effects of Amazon

In the ongoing Amazon Churchill saga, Hillwood (potential developer of the former Westinghouse R&D Center) invested large sums of time and money into discrediting some Churchill citizens who have contested “expert” testimony provided by Hillwood’s hired authorities. Recent documents submitted by Hillwood in public hearings blatantly suggest these residents are unqualified to have opinions on traffic or other matters because they do not have degrees in those fields. These residents are part of a large, grassroots community organization, Churchill Future, opposed to the placement of any distribution center at the site.

Doesn’t Hillwood know the world views Swedish teen Greta Thunberg as a climate change expert? She is praised for her enthusiasm and persistence. Yet Hillwood criticizes the enthusiasm, education and persistence of Churchill residents. By Hillwood’s standards, Churchill Borough officials are also unqualified to render opinions without specialized education. Interestingly, Hillwood’s traffic experts didn’t evaluate the Parkway East, I-376, in their traffic study, a glaring mistake an expert should not make.

Churchill residents have invested large amounts of time becoming subject matter experts, utilizing their work experience and advanced degrees to clearly see and understand how inappropriate distribution centers are in the middle of this residential community.

Mark Sampson

Churchill