In Rare Move, Amazon Sends Executive To Defend Maine's Biggest Warehouse
Amazon flew an executive from Boston to answer Waterville residents' fears about jobs and traffic from a 159,000-square-foot hub.
An Amazon executive flew in from Boston to field questions at a Waterville planning board session on April 28, a rare move for a company that usually leaves warehouse permitting to its developers, as residents pressed for details on a proposed 159,000-square-foot delivery hub.
Jonathan Greeley, who oversees Amazon's New England economic development work, told the board the facility fits into a $4 billion push by the company to build out last-mile delivery across the country. He said most packages reaching Maine now travel through outside carriers based in Connecticut and Massachusetts, and that drivers working from a Waterville site could reach customers within roughly an hour's drive. Greeley added that Amazon intends to keep using the Postal Service and FedEx even as some residents worry about lost business and jobs.
Set on 3.6 acres along Trafton and Junction roads near Interstate 95, the property is already zoned for the use. Builders would need to extend water service 3,100 feet and power lines 4,200 feet, and offset construction's impact on 2.67 acres of wetlands. A company spokesperson called the delivery station, still early in planning, a source of local jobs and quicker shipping if regulators sign off. Amazon estimates the site would employ 150 to 200 workers full and part time, and would rank as the largest warehouse Maine has seen.
This story was first reported by Bangor Daily News.
