WINSTED — Using words like “menacing,” “monstrosity” and “moratorium,” Colebrook community members expressed widespread opposition to a proposed wind-turbine project in town during a hearing Tuesday, March 22, at Northwestern Regional High School.The hearing was held by the Connecticut Siting Council, which is currently in the process of deciding whether two pieces of land in Colebrook are suitable for the construction of six large wind turbines by West Hartford-based BNE Energy. The company owns one plot of land in Colebrook and would lease a second property, putting three of its 480-foot-tall, white-bladed modern windmills at each location. A third project is planned by the company in Prospect.During the past several weeks, residents of Colebrook, Norfolk and Winsted have expressed opposition to the BNE plan, which they say would create environmental hazards, increase noise pollution and disrupt natural sight lines for miles, lowering property values in the process. Only about one in every 10 residents who spoke Tuesday offered favorable opinions, and those came with the caveat that the project must be declared safe and economically beneficial to the town if it is to move forward.Connecticut Siting Council Chairman Daniel Caruso opened the meeting Tuesday, explaining that the council is not a proponent of the wind turbines, but is charged with hearing residents’ concerns and determining the legality of the turbine project. The two Colebrook projects are under consideration as Petition No. 983, an 80-acre property on Flagg Hill Road, and Petition No. 984, a 125-acre property on Norfolk Road (Route 44). The petitions ask the siting council to issue a declaratory ruling that BNE Energy will not need a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need in order to build its turbines on the Colebrook properties.Critics raised numerous environmental and safety concerns Tuesday night, most notably with regard to noise pollution and the sheer size of the proposed windmills, which may exceed 480 feet (see graphic illustration, far right). At the meeting, a graphic rendering showed what a 480-foot-tall turbine would look like next to the cell tower on Route 44 between Winsted and Colebrook. Indiscreetly camouflaged as a pine tree, the cell tower already protrudes unnaturally from the ridge line, but it would be dwarfed by the turbine.Other photographs presented by opponents show the structures on fire, shooting electrical currents into the ground and missing pieces of their giant wings. Caruso noted that there are three different groups opposing BNE’s Colebrook plans, each of which is represented by counsel. The most vocal has been Fairwind Connecticut, which has established its own website and network of opposition to the project.Fairwind supports a moratorium on all decisions regarding wind turbines in residential areas pending further study of the environmental and economic implications. Members of the opposing parties were prohibited from speaking during Tuesday night’s hearing, which was reserved for concerned residents.Those rising in opposition to the project included former selectmen and several prominent residents of Colebrook who presented a range of concerns. Ken Andresen of the Colebrook Land Conservancy noted that 40-story towers are being considered in the same area where homes still stand from before the American Revolution. The towers, with their “spinning propellers and nightmarish velocity” would “scar the face of Connecticut forever,” he said.Former Colebrook First Selectman Jerry Rathbun backed up the imagery with stories of fires in the gearboxes of the wind turbines and burning propeller blades flying through the air and landing on cars. He noted that the cost to outfit local volunteer firefighters with the equipment necessary to combat such disasters would be prohibitive.Suggesting that at least some exaggeration is happening in the debate, supporters of the wind turbines have said the structures are quiet and would sound something like a refrigerator from 1,000 feet away. Critics of the project said the turbines sound more like jet engines and suggested that associated health risks range from migraines and depression to death from falling blades.Resident Diane Gracewski wondered aloud why more appropriate areas aren’t being considered by the state. “Why not the Mad River Dam or the Colebrook River Dam? The state owns this land. Maybe they can make some money and help us all out,” she said. “Residential areas should be left alone. That’s why we moved here.”William O. Riiska, an attorney and chairman of the Norfolk Planning and Zoning Commission, said he was surprised that more homework hadn’t been done by proponents of the wind towers. “I am stunned by the lack of planning for a proposal like this,” he said. “I don’t see any considered decisions being made in this process.” Riiska said the impact on tourism in Northwest Connecticut should also be a consideration when deciding whether or not to construct the wind towers.The evening was not without its light-hearted moments, including an appearance by Colebrook resident Bob Schumacher. “I’m here because my wife made me come,” he said, eliciting a roomful of laughter. Schumacher said that anyone who owns a home in Colebrook and expects the town to retain its peaceful, rural character would be disenfranchised by the construction of the wind turbines. “Even if one person doesn’t want them, it wouldn’t be fair. It would still be the wrong thing to do,” he said.“Obviously we’re not happy with the wind towers,” Schumacher said. “We think everyone here agrees that we want to go green. We just don’t want to go deaf in the process.”
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One systemic consequence of slavery is the loss and obscuring of the histories of those who were enslaved. Records were often not kept about where Africans had been stolen from or who they were related to. Families were torn apart, leaving nothing but the faintest traces of the past. The delineation point, where genealogists can no longer trace histories back, is refered to this as the “document wall.”
Today, 250 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and more than 160 years since the Emancipation Proclamation, there is a growing effort to restore some of the history stripped from enslaved people and their descendants. Among the leaders of these efforts is Mills, president of the Alex Breanne Corporation, a nonprofit organization that works to identify previously anonymous Black Americans from history and connect them with their living relatives.
The work began with Mills’ sister, who started digging into their family’s past in the 1990’s and introduced him to this emerging world of genealogy. Through that process, the Mills family discovered their great-great-grandfather, Ned Mills, who had been enslaved in Texas. His last name came from his final enslaver and remains the family surname. Through their research, they found that the document wall directly affected their ancestor, who learned of his liberation on June 19, 1865, now commemorated as Juneteenth.
“For the first time,” Mills writes on his website, “American slavery wasn’t something that had happened to anonymous people in a history book. It had happened to my family.”
The discovery gave Mills a familial pride he had been missing for years. That pride fueled his desire to help others find their own history. In 2023, Mills received his certificate in genealogical research from Boston University. He has used his expertise to help descendants of enslaved people uncover histories they never dreamed of learning.
To do this, he uses a process called “reverse genealogy,” identifying a person from the past and working forward to discover their descendants. Along the way, Mills has found some remarkable people who fought for freedom on American soil, some of whom were never freed.
Pay Bill for Robin Starr’s service in the Continental Army.Courtesy the Alex Breanne Corporation
At the Cornwall Historical Society event, Mills will present the stories of four Connecticut families: Job Lathrop of Norwich, the son of Pirmus Armes, about whom Mills has published a book; Prince Mortimer of Middletown, also the subject of a book by Mills;, the three sons of London Wallace of Simsbury; and Robert “Robin” Starr of Danbury, who later lived in Cornwall and Sharon.
A few years ago, Cornwall Consolidated School social studies teacher Will Vincent reached out to Mills for research guidance on a local history project his students were undertaking. Together, they learned about Naomi Freeman of Cornwall. After purchasing an acre of land on Great Hollow Road in 1828, Naomi Freeman became the first Black female landowner in Cornwall.
The students petitioned the town to rename a road after the historic Cornwall resident In April 2025, Great Hollow Road was officially renamed Naomi Freeman Historic Road. U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes joined Mills and the Cornwall Consildated School students for a presentation of their research.
Since then, Mills has guided the students in their quest to learn more about Starr’s story. Starr was a Revolutionary War soldier who joined the Continental Army to earn enough money to buy his own freedom, receiving the Badge of Merit in the process. The stories of his descendents’ services are equally worthy of their own books.
In recognition of Mills and the students’ work, First Selectman Gordon Ridgway proclaimed Feb. 8 as Robin Starr Day.
Preregistration is required for the event at the Cornwall Historical Society. To learn more about Mills’ work, visit
alexbreanne.org.
John Mills speaking at Quinnipiac University.Courtesy the Alex Breanne Corporation
Stephanie Saetta runs Charlie Chicken Bones, a sanctuary in Salisbury.
Dogs have been at the center of Saetta’s life since childhood. She remembers going to the library to research different breeds and trying to convince her parents the family needed a dog. She had her heart set on an Irish Wolfhound, but she was more than happy when her mom brought home a West Highland terrier.
After college, she adopted Charlie as a puppy from a rescue on Long Island. He was a hound-shepherd-Rottweiler mix who suffered from intense seizures. Some veterinarians recommended euthanasia, but Saetta wasn’t ready to give up on him.
When Charlie would have an episode, she would sit with him, nose to nose, talking him through it. She learned to look for the moment he began to come around — when he could smell her again and his tail started to wag.
“You only get one or two of these soul connection dogs, so I do this in his honor,” Saetta said. “I like to think that all the dogs that come through are going to have that person that they connect with just the same.”
Through a network of women working to rescue animals in Texas, she learned about the desperate situations facing many dogs.
With limited space, some public pounds euthanize even healthy animals to make room. Limited access to veterinary care leaves sick dogs or unvaccinated puppies especially vulnerable.
Saetta saw that reality firsthand with a puppy named Gus, a Labrador mix she fostered who has since been adopted. Gus and his sisters had been dumped beside a road, where they were living under an abandoned car. People would leave food for them, but no one would take them to the pound.
“Even the people who rescue animals down there were like, ‘sadly, the best place for them to be is on the side of the road,’” she said. “That’s safer. Someone might actually help them that way.”
Saetta knows that there are far more dogs than any one person can save, but she also knows that helping one dog means one fewer on the street.
Stephanie Saetta,with her rescue dog George and Blue (left), a shepherd mix awaiting his forever home.Madi Long
Charlie Chicken Bone Sanctuary operates entirely through foster homes, a model that Saetta believes is best for the dogs and the humans hoping to adopt them.
Rather than moving directly from a difficult environment into a permanent home, the dogs have a chance to settle into a quieter setting. They can learn what it’s like to live with a family, sleep somewhere comfortable and receive affection without fighting for attention. Fostering also allows the rescue to really get to know each dog.
“As fosters, we’re honest,” said Saetta. We’ll tell you everything that’s been bad, everything that’s been good. What their temperament is and how they’ve responded to all the things they’ve experienced.”
A successful adoption is not just about finding a dog a home; it’s about finding the right home where the dog and family can thrive together.
Saetta is looking for more people willing to open their homes to foster dogs. She understands that the thought of growing attached and eventually saying goodbye can feel daunting. But she sees that goodbye a little differently.
Fostering means being part of a dog’s journey, even if only for a short time. It gives dogs a safe place to rest, the chance to trust again and the love they have gone without for much of their lives. And when the time comes for them to leave, it is not really a loss. It is the reward of knowing they are moving on to a forever home.
Blue, Saetta’s current foster, is hoping to find his perfect home.
Blue, a 7 year-old Shepard mix, is waiting for his forever home. Madi Long
Now around 7 years old, Blue spent most of his life wandering the streets of Texas. People sometimes left food out for him, but his mangy, dirty coat kept them from stopping to pet him. Today, he has a chance to experience something different.
Blue is still waiting for his forever home. Saetta believes he would do best as the only dog in a household or alongside another senior dog. He will need someone willing to continue working with him on his training and understand that a dog with his history needs patience.
But what he gives in return is a whole lot of love.
“He’s so enthusiastic, he’s so excited for life, he’s so friendly, and he’s got such a good heart, and he loves to cuddle,” Saetta said. “He’s a good, good, good dog.”
For more information on adopting Blue or how to foster, visit ccbsanctuary.org.
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