MILLERTON — Key members of Citizens for Millerton, the group that organized the Nov. 30 pep rally in support of a new supermarket, met to talk strategy on Friday, Dec. 14, at Riley’s Furniture. They met with John Joseph, principal of Southern Realty & Development LLC, the applicant behind the proposed 36,000-square foot supermarket presumed to be a Hannaford. (Joseph for legal reasons has never gone on the record to confirm his tenant is Hannaford; others working for the developer have openly referred to the store as a Hannaford.) Joseph’s application for site-plan approval is to build anew on a 10-plus acre site he plans to purchase from Quinmill Properties. It is adjacent to Thompson Plaza, located in the Boulevard District off Route 44.However, right now Citizens for Millerton is campaigning to bring Joseph and his tenant to the Millerton Square plaza, to replace the existing Grand Union. That plan has been the developer’s goal from the very beginning — something he’s been very open discussing in public.“I said what I said from day one — the community needs a supermarket and it would be a shame when there’s an old, tired center [not to make use of it] when I have $8 to $10 million to invest, and instead I would be forced to build something new,” said Joseph.Taking over the existing Grand Union has been something of a challenge for Joseph. Grand Union is owned by its wholesale supplier, C&S Wholesale Grocers, the largest wholesale grocery supplier in the Unites States. C&S has a lease with landlord Millerton Super, Inc. (owned by brothers Robert and John “Skip” Trotta). Skip Trotta has recently made public his desire to deal with SRD and Hannaford, something he said he’s wished for all along. Like many others in the community, Trotta said the Grand Union is in poor condition and needs to be taken over and renovated, and that Hannaford would be the ideal company for such a project. He also speaks highly of Joseph, whom he has had business dealings with in the past.The difficulty is that C&S doesn’t do business with Hannaford markets, but it does do business with Freshtown markets, one of which is located in Amenia. Freshtown owners Dan and Noah Katz run that store, as well as another in Dover (formerly Foodtowns); in total they own 13 locations. The Katzes have also expressed interest in setting up shop in Millerton, and approached the Trottas about leasing the existing Grand Union, which would be an easy transition since both stores deal with C&S. Skip Trotta said he turned the Katzes down, and would do so again.However, the Katzes have continued their quest. Those campaigning for Hannaford have expressed doubt regarding the Katzes’ true intentions and wonder if they truly want to open a store in Millerton or if they merely want to derail Hannaford from opening within a 15-mile radius of the Amenia Freshtown.“Their motive is clear,” said Millerton Mayor John Scutieri. “They don’t want anything to happen in Millerton.”The Katzes have not returned calls for comment.In fact, Joseph, Trotta and Scutieri were set to meet with C&S Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Bryan Granger on Friday, Dec. 7, but that meeting was canceled at the last moment. Trotta said he believed it was because of the Katzes’ interference. “I just got a cancellation call [from Granger] that said he was tied up and couldn’t make it and that he was not in a position for a face-to-face,” Trotta said. “But his implication was that it was politics on his side of the fence that he has to deal with.”Joseph said that he, too, spoke with Granger, and that he believed “all eyes are on getting something to happen.”Others at the meeting, including the mayor, said when they spoke with the CFO he was on a fact-finding mission.“He was very apologetic for not knowing more about Millerton,” Scutieri said. As far as the phone blitz Citizens for Millerton initiated the Monday after its pep rally, Scutieri said it’s been very successful. “I was very excited,” he said, noting he was especially surprised once the Friday meeting was scheduled. “I was pleased with how things were going. I really felt very positive.”It was agreed the group must keep the pressure on C&S to deal with Joseph and Hannaford, and ideally to visit the Millerton Grand Union. The hope is once Granger sees the store first hand he will decide it should get out of the retail business (the Millerton market is one of only two of its retail endeavors).Joseph said not only is C&S likely anxious to get out of the retail business, but he believes it would prefer to deal with his tenant, which is willing to invest $8 to $10 million into renovating Grand Union (including the plaza’s parking lot), versus the Katzes, who have spoken about a $1 million renovation at Planning Board meetings in the past. “I think quite frankly that C&S is really waiting for two things: a neg. dec. [meaning a simplified environmental review process on the SRD application] and Freshtown [to step aside],” Scutieri said. “I think they want out.”Joseph said if C&S isn’t willing to deal with him, and that negative declaration is approved by the Planning Board, he may “very well” move ahead with the Quinmill property on Route 44. Right now that application is suspended until he and co-applicant Ken Thompson can come to an agreement regarding a shared driveway that’s needed to access both the supermarket parking lot and Thompson Plaza. Joseph said Thompson has been changing his demands frequently, but in the final analysis he believes the plaza owner will come to the table within the next month to negotiate a deal. Citizens for Millerton, meanwhile, talked about its options, ranging from hanging posters around town to pressure C&S or to boycott Freshtown to actually picketing the Amenia store, to contacting local and state politicians for support to creating a new petition. In the end it was decided to continue the phone blitz and make sure the meeting that was canceled gets rescheduled, whether it’s held in Millerton or at C&S headquarters in Keene, N.H. “There is no one silver bullet,” Trotta said, adding the group should list all of its options. “It’s going to take a combination of multiple bullets.”
Latest News
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.
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
