It doesn’t take much to demonstrate the absurdity of claims that the site for Amtrak’s proposed train barn in Brunswick does not lie next to a residential neighborhood (“Drone deployed in Brunswick battle over rail facility: Watch its video,” Oct. 23).

Enter “Bouchard Drive” on GoogleMaps to obtain a satellite view that shows the proximity of the site to nearby homes. Misleading “drone” footage can’t change the laws of physics.

The site is less than a football field away from homes, a distance fast sprinters can cross in 10 seconds. The video itself clearly shows that the trees nearby are not pines, but deciduous trees.

Regardless of season, trees will not stifle the sound and fumes of old diesel engines. And no aerial shots address the serious issues the project poses from displacing environmental contaminants into the local watershed.

Reporter Tom Bell and the Press Herald should be ashamed of themselves for printing propaganda rather than serious reportage.

Patrick Rael

Brunswick