NORTH EAST — Talks regarding the proposed supermarket slated for the Boulevard District moved from the Planning Board’s domain to the Town Board’s, as the subject of water service was broached last week. The Town Board held a special meeting at Town Hall on Thursday, April 7, to conduct that discussion among supermarket applicant Southern Realty & Development, LLC (represented by John Joseph), project engineer Rich Rennia, project architect Ray Nelson, Town Engineer Ray Jurkowski, Attorney to the Town Warren Replansky and the members of the Town Board. The goal of the meeting, according to town Supervisor Dave Sherman, was to hash out a framework of how to approach the concept of water service for the as-of-yet-unnamed supermarket planned for Route 44 East, near the Connecticut border.First choice, exploring other options While the conversation focused on the 10-acre site owned by Quinmill Properties Inc., which Southern Realty & Development, LLC (SRD) is looking to develop, SRD acknowledged its first choice is still to come to an agreement with C&S Wholesalers, which runs the Grand Union supermarket in Millerton and leases that space from property owner Robert Trotta. That pursuit has thus far been unsuccessful.At last week’s meeting, Rennia gave an overview of the applicant’s second option.“The Quinmill property site, we’ll develop that site and put in an almost 36,000-sqare-foot supermarket and redo the entrance into Ken Thompson’s building, and move that [entrance] farther to the west, and have one joint entrance in,” Rennia said, adding there would be a large loop around the building for truck traffic. The engineer also said there is “plenty of room” to install a septic system.“There is room to install a private well and put together a private water system,” Rennia said, before reviewing the applicant’s water service options. “Seeing that the water district is very close, about 1,200 feet down Route 44, west to the site, [there] is the possibility of connecting to that system. There are two ways: One is an expansion of the district and one is to create, out of the district, a user contract agreement between the developer and the town.”Rennia said either way the same 8-inch water line extension would be used.Who wants in, who wants outJoseph interjected that the adjoining property owners, Ken Thompson (owner of Thompson’s Plaza) and Basil Gabriel (owner of Basil’s Auto Shop) “have no need or desire to connect” to the town’s water district. He added the supermarket would like to be an out-of-district user. It expects to use approximately 2,000 gallons of water a day, which led the developer to describe the market as “not a tremendous water user,” but added it would be willing to cooperate with the municipality as needed.“We would construct [it], and also, if the town felt at a later date it needed to form a district and bring those people in, we would be happy to contribute our share or even pay the district at that time,” he said. “But at this point we would try to keep it as simple as possible.”Rennia sent a letter dated March 3, 2011, to the town supervisor. The matter was put succinctly.“It is anticipated that Southern Realty & Development, LLC would bear the costs to expand the water district including construction, design and permitting,” he stated. “The proposed project will require an estimated 2,000 gallons per day for normal consumption purposes and fire flow needs are 1,000 gallon per minute.”It’s the details that countCouncilman Dave McGhee raised an important point, reminding those present the town’s water district receives its supply from the village.“First of all I think it isn’t going to be up too much to the Town Board — it’s up to the Village Board if they’re going to be able to make another district. They’re the ones that control the water. Secondly, I’m very interested if there’s enough pressure to sustain all that way out there. I hope you do.“I will throw in this comment,” he added. “I know you have different ideas, I’ve lived here all my life, and you should be able to hook onto a line at the state line by Thompson Plaza and Basil’s, because they’re not going to stay there. Once we’re going this far, whether we do [the supermarket] or not, we should be able to hook up. Things are going to change; once somebody offers [those businesses out by the state line money to buy them out] they’re not going to stay there.”Councilman Carl Stahovec then brought up the wetlands issue and the buffer that usually accompanies them.“The last project had a 300-foot buffer,” he said. “You obviously don’t have that here. I’d be interested to see where that’s going. We’ve been getting letters [concerning wetlands]; another issue is the bog turtles. That’s another hurdle that’s there.”The applicant has engaged a biologist to do a bog turtle survey, which will be conducted sometime this month. The developer said in more than two decades doing his work he’s never seen the turtles yet.“As long as there’s a habitat there don’t have to be turtles,” Councilman Steven Merwin rebutted.Who is SRD? At that point Sherman asked Joseph what his exact relationship to Southern Realty & Development was.“I’m it,” responded Joseph, later adding he works with another investor. “We are owners, operators, of shopping centers. We acquire land and develop on behalf of tenants and then they become our tenants and they rent from us.”Getting off track and regaining focusTalk quickly reverted to focus on water. Merwin raised concerns about whether the village could handle the load, or if another water tank might be needed. He made reference to the town’s decision in the 1990s to not build another storage tank, which caused a brief skirmish with the town supervisor. The two quickly settled back to the business at hand.“We need to look out for the village on this,” Merwin said.“You’re right,” Replansky said. “The village has to make sure it has the capacity for this. The village can look at the plans for the proposed development on the site and see what the water requirements are, but if they’re talking about a district expansion, they have to look at the other properties then to see if they have the capacity.”“I don’t want the public to pay for anything,” McGhee said, adding an escrow account must be established.Two escrow accounts will actually be created; one escrow account will be for the planning process reviewed by the Planning Board and the other will be for the professional review undertaken by the Town Board. Neither account has been created yet, nor has a dollar amount been set for either of the two accounts, according to the town supervisor.
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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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