County of Union, New Jersey

Union County, NJ – The Union County Teen Arts Festival is looking for volunteers who enjoy working with middle and high school students in and an exciting and dynamic setting.

“The Teen Arts Festival is a high-energy event that showcases the creativity of thousands of our local students. We depend on the public to volunteer and help foster their talents through a variety of artistic disciplines,” said Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski. “Whether you are an amateur or professional artist, or simply enjoy working with young people, volunteering at Teen Arts is a great way to help encourage youth through the arts.”

The Union County Teen Arts Festival is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, March 14 and March 15. The festival is sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders through the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs in the Department of Parks and Recreation.

For over 30 years, the Union County Teen Arts Festival has provided a high-visibility forum for the artistic talents of County students. With nearly 3,50

0 participants, the event offers performances, critiquing seminars, master classes and workshops with a staff of 55 professional artists in every discipline – visual art, music, creative writing, theater and dance, the festival is a great experience for participants as well as volunteers.

Volunteers are needed to assist artists with workshops, manage performance sites and staff information stations. Volunteers must be over 18 and not currently enrolled in high school.

The two-day festival is held annually at Union County College in Cranford. The event is open to all students from public, charter, private and parochial middle and high schools in Union County.

For more information about the Union County Teen Arts Festival or to sign up as a volunteer, contact the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs at 633 Pearl Street, Elizabeth, New Jersey 07202. Telephone: 908-558-2550; NJ Relay Users call 711. Or e-mail us at: culturalinfo@ucnj.org.

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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.

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Reaching out to Families, Individuals, Youth and Veterans Experiencing Homelessness; Freeholder Chair Kowalski asks County agencies to assess impact and Response To Prolonged Closure

When: Wednesday, January 23, 2019 (Exact times will vary by county)
Where:  Across New Jersey’s twenty-one counties
Who is counting:  Organizations, agencies and others planning community efforts to end homelessness

On January, 23, 2019, the County of Union will be among all 21 Counties that participate in NJCounts 2019, conducting a state-wide Point-In-Time Count of the sheltered and unsheltered homeless.  NJCounts 2019 of homeless families, youth and veterans will continue to guide efforts to end homelessness across the state.

NJCounts 2018 found 9,303 homeless men, women and children, in 6,982 households, across the state of New Jersey. This number increased by 771 persons (9%) from 2017. NJCounts 2018 counted individuals who were homeless on the night of January 23, 2018. 

“As we plan the Point-in-Time Count, we are working in the shadow of the federal shutdown,” said Union County Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski. “Federal employees working without a paycheck – along with people who depend on HUD-funded rental assistance – could become homeless. On behalf of my Freeholder colleagues, I’ve asked the County’s agencies to assess the impact of a prolonged closure, and what measures we can take to lessen the burden on those affected.”

In this year’s NJCounts, the many factors expected to impact an increase or decrease from NJCounts 2018 numbers include:

• As Chair Kowalski noted, the current shutdown of the federal government impacts housing and homelessness programs funded by the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), puts furloughed government workers living pay check to pay check at risk of eviction and foreclosure and leaves programs receiving HUD funding worrying about making payroll. More specifically, formerly homeless persons housed through HUD funded rental assistance vouchers face increased risk of losing their housing and once again becoming homeless as the government shut down freezes agencies’ ability to drawdown rental assistance funding for those individuals and families increasing the likelihood of eviction;
• Even when the federal government is open and all workers are receiving their paychcecks, many jobs in New Jersey do not pay a living wage and jobs with living wage are leaving the state;
• A shortage of funding for affordable rental housing in New Jersey drives up both the demand and costs;
• A growing body of data shows the connection between poor health outcomes, increased health system costs and homelessness.  As hospital systems look into this issue more closely, we hope to see increased participation from local hospitals in NJCounts; and
• As more communities work to refine their Code Blue response system and provide warming center services to unsheltered persons coupled with the cold temperatures for this winter, the overall NJCounts numbers will likely be impacted.

NJCounts 2019 is designed to understand the nature of New Jersey’s homeless population so that limited resources can meet its needs.  On January 23, 2019, volunteers will seek out our neighbors experiencing homelessness in shelters, woods, under bridges, in vacant buildings and other locations.  Due to the lack of affordable or supportive housing available to them, individuals and families are forced to find alternatives to housing they can afford. 

HUD mandates the statewide point-in-time count of the homeless known in New Jersey as NJCounts 2019.  Monarch Housing Associates coordinates this year’s statewide count being conducted county-by-county at the local level. The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency funds NJCounts 2019.

Union County, NJ— An ambitious group of Union County Adopt-a-Park volunteers spent several hours clearing away a logjam in the Rahway River at Nomahegan Park in Cranford last Saturday afternoon. Helped by a passer-by who loaned two kayaks to the effort, they bagged and removed trash and recyclables from the river and from the surrounding area, too.

“Our Adopt-a-Park volunteers do a wonderful job, and additional help is always welcome,” said Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski, who regularly joins in park cleanup events. “This was an especially difficult and demanding project. I would like to thank all who participated for pitching in and helping to conserve the natural habitat in our county parks.”

The cleanup was organized by Union County Adopt-a-Park volunteer and Professor Daniela Shebitz of Kean University. Professor Shebitz, a resident of Cranford, conducts conservation activities in Union County parks through the Adopt-A-Park program.

After spotting the logjam, Professor Shebitz contacted the Adopt-a-Park program and organized a group of volunteers. Adopt-a-Park provided the group with gloves and other supplies.

While the volunteers were clearing the debris, a nearby resident noticed the activity and returned with two kayaks to help.

“The kayaks were instrumental in helping the volunteers bag up the debris before it could float farther down the river,” explained Freeholder Chair Kowalski.

Trash and recyclables collect in rivers and streams and often get hung up on tree branches, creating a logjam effect.

Eventually, the debris finds its way to the ocean and contributes to the growing problem of ocean plastic pollution. Floating bags and other items create hazards for fish and other wildlife that mistake them for food.

Residents can help keep plastic and other debris out of waterways in Union County parks by depositing trash and litter in secure containers where it cannot be disturbed by wind or wildlife.

To help cut down on plastic waste, residents can carry reusable water bottles, bring reusable bags when shopping, and keep up to date on rules for recycling.

Any individual or group is welcome to join Adopt-a-Park. For more information contact the Adopt-a-Park coordinator at 908-789-3683 or visit online at ucnj.org/parks.

For all Union County recycling programs and links to local recycling coordinators, visit ucnj.org/recycling.

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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.

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Union County, NJ – Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi is pleased to announce the launch of the first annual Union County Clerk “I Voted” Sticker Design Art Contest for students in grades 5-12. All Union County students in public, private and home schools are invited to participate.

“The tremendous outpouring of interest in the 2018 midterm election cycle demonstrates that today’s voters are motivated and engaged in the democratic process. With the new I Voted Sticker Design Art Contest, we hope to inspire the up-and-coming generation to get involved, learn about elections and voting, and prepare for the day when they, too, can participate,” said Ms. Rajoppi.

Participants must be residents of Union County who are currently enrolled in public, private or home schools within Union County in grades 5 to 12.

The artwork must be an original idea, submitted with a brief description explaining how the design represents the importance of voting.

“Many of our cities and towns give out ‘I Voted!’ stickers on Election Day and voters really like them,” said Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski. “The new contest is a wonderful way for students in our community to contribute their civic energy and creativity, and help encourage all eligible Union County residents to exercise their right to vote.”

The design must include the phrase “I Voted” and contain the theme of voting and elections in Union County. Designs must be submitted on a flat 8-1/2” x 11”paper or cardboard surface.

Pencil, ink, acrylic, oil, watercolor, crayon, marker and pastels are all accepted. Computer-generated designs will not be considered.

Designs may be submitted in the 5^th-8^th grade category or the 9^th-12^th grade category. One winning design will be selected in each category.

The two winning designs will be reproduced on stickers and given to voters in the 2019 Primary and General Elections.

For complete rules and submission instructions visit the office of the County Clerk online at ucnj.org/county-clerk.

Additional information is available by email at ivotedcontest@ucnj.org, or call 908-527-4787.

Entries must be received or postmarked no later than Friday, March 1, 2019 by 3:00 p.m.

For all County Clerk programs and services visit online at ucnj.org/county-clerk or call 908-527-4787.

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Freeholder Vice Chairman Mirabella Begins New Term; Freeholders Staten, Palmieri-Mouded Begin First Terms; Freeholder Williams begins partial term; Five women Freeholders mark majority of Board for first time in Union County history

Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski has been selected as Chairman of the Board and announced a series of initiatives for 2019, entitled “Empowering Union County”  that includes new announcements for working families, women, seniors, veterans, social services, public safety, libraries, parks, the environment and the arts. 

Kowalski, a native of Union County and a Cranford resident, announced her initiatives at the County’s annual reorganization meeting held in the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth on Sunday.   

Freeholder Alexander Mirabella of Fanwood, who was selected as Vice Chairman, was sworn in to a new term. Freeholders Andrea Staten, of Roselle, and Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded, of Westfield, were sworn into their first terms. Freeholder Rebecca Williams, of Plainfield, was sworn in to a partial term. It is the first time in Union County’s history that women have constituted a majority (a total of five)—of the Freeholder Board.

As Freeholder Chair Kowalski announced her “Empowering Union County” initiatives for the New Year, she noted:  “What an exciting time this is – for all of us – as we celebrate the more than 100 women now serving in the U.S. Congress. They include Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and Florida’s Donna Shalala, who nurtured a generation of women leaders as President of Hunter College while I was a student there.”

The following is a summary below of “Empowering Union County” initiatives:

Shared Services:

• Shared Services Summit—Union County will host a “Shared Services” Summit with its municipal partners aimed at increasing tax savings, and promote County partnerships with municipalities throughout the year. 

Economic Development:

• Ride Sharing Pilot Program—The County will work to develop a pilot program with a municipality to promote and subsidize a ride sharing program for its residents. 
• Office of Business Development—Create an office which would work to attract and retain businesses in Union County. 
• Office of Veterans Services (Continuation of UC HERO, Year 4)
  • Adding a new part-time employee from the VA, that will be funded through the VA to assist our Veterans.
  • Boots to Business-–a UCEDC program that would provide training and loans for entrepreneurial veterans.

Public Safety:

• Create a “First Responder Training Fund” so that municipal police, fire and EMS from all across the County can receive first responder training.

Parks:

• Ponderosa, Scotch Plains: Two turf fields (multi-use) to be built over existing fields by end of 2019.
• Madison Avenue Fields, Rahway—two turf fields with lights to be completed by end of 2019.
• Wheeler Spray Park, Linden—-replacing the pool at Wheeler Park, and to be completed and opened by the beginning of the summer.
• Ashbrook Golf Course, Scotch Plains-–to be completed and opened by spring.
• Trail improvements to be made in several Union County parks, safety improvements, and dedications. 

Environmental “Green” Initiatives: 

• Styrofoam recycling—Union County will expand recycling opportunities at municipal recycling convenience centers to include certain types of packaging Styrofoam.  The County will provide collection bins, signage and educational brochures to municipalities and all material collected will be delivered to an in-county Styrofoam recycler.
• Trailside Recycling display—design, renovate and update a new interactive recycling educational display at Trailside Nature and Science Center using recycling and clean communities grant monies, partnering with Covanta to include waste to energy component.
• Recycling Initiative for Seniors – develop a broad-based recycling program aimed at senior centers throughout Union County to enhance recycling education and convenience; residents will be provided with portable recycling bags that are easy to transport and unload and offer a recycling guide imprinted on the side. Additional educational programming and shredding events can be incorporated. 
• Recycle Right: Compliance Guides for Residents and Businesses–A new public engagement initiative to provide Recycle Right!Brochures for residents as well as business owners. These guides would provide key information including “Do’s & Don’ts,” compliance recycling, and points of contact, thereby improving recycling rates while promoting county and local recycling programs.
• Reel In and Recycle—Union County will make and install monofilament fishing line recycling receptacles at fishing locations throughout our park system.  The program is part of an anti-litter campaign, designed to protect local wildlife such as birds, turtles etc. who get harmed by the fishing line.  The collected fishing line is sent to a company that uses it to make underwater habitats that promote healthy fish populations.
• The County’s Green Connection Pagewill be used as a portal for environmental action and the UC Means Green garden grants program will be updated to include a paragraph encouraging hydroponic gardens and other garden projects that can be coordinated with STEM education topics through NASA.

Human Services:

• An Action Line will be launched so that the public can call for any complaints, concerns, and inquiries in the Department of Human Services.
• To enhance the responsiveness of the Department of Human Services and its partner service systems to the needs of individuals and families in our communities, the DHS will complete a Union County Community Needs Assessment in 2019. The Needs Assessment will: Obtain resident and other stakeholder input on current needs and concerns, demographic and service data, develop a priority list of human service needs for Union County; compare needs in Union County to those in contiguous areas and identify opportunities for partnerships the updated Needs Assessment will identify priority human service needs and inform future service delivery. 

Women’s Issues:

• The Office on Women will work to coordinate a series of health forums for women through local hospitals, on issues such as cervical cancer, disease control, heart health, and stroke, particularly for women of color. 
• Creation of a Women’s History Month event.
• In October, the Office on Women will partner with social service agencies and the Prosecutor’s/Sheriff’s Office on Domestic Violence/Violence Against women initiatives.

Open Space

• This year, the Office will offer Preserve Union County Grant–a total pool of $300-500K. The award program provides matching grants for restoration and other upgrades to the County’s historic sites. It is offered every other year.

Other:

• Library Grant Program-–Increase the pool of money available for libraries.
• HEART Grants—Increase the funding for this popular arts grant program.

Freeholder Chair Kowalski closed her speech, noting:

“We have much to accomplish and I look forward to working with you—my colleagues, our Union County family of employees and the public that we serve—in getting it all done.

We have the example of our Congressional representatives, and of the young women of a new generation. We can look to our Pakistani sister, Malala Yousafzai, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, who was shot at age 15 because she spoke out for the right of all children, including girls, to an education. Malala said: ‘I raise up my voice – not so I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard.’ Each one of us, she said, can have an impact: ‘One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.’ Here in Union County, with your help, we are taking action for a better future.

I wish you—and all the residents of Union County—a very Happy New Year and the best of health and happiness.”

Following months of planning, Union County is poised to become the first county in New Jersey that is exclusively patrolled by local law enforcement to have all of its departments outfitted with body-worn cameras, acting Union County Prosecutor Michael A. Monahan announced Thursday.

Prosecutor Monahan, who earlier this year launched an initiative to ensure full countywide implementation, was joined today by county officials and most of Union County’s 21 municipal police chiefs at the Andrew K. Ruotolo Justice Center in downtown Elizabeth to mark the occasion.

“I am confident there will come a time when body-worn cameras are as commonplace as any other item in a police officer’s toolkit,” Prosecutor Monahan said. “But for now, we can be satisfied in the knowledge that Union County, on the issue of body-worn cameras, is at the vanguard among law enforcement in New Jersey, progressively ahead of the curve and leading the way. And for that, I thank our chiefs for their commitment to delivering transparency, accountability, and professionalism to the public.” 

“Vehicle video systems have been available for law enforcement for decades, but body-worn cameras are a vast improvement because they allow you to see incidents unfold from the officers’ actual point of view. They have become a valued tool in daily use not only for officers’ protection, but the protection of the citizenry as well,” added Springfield Police Chief John Cook, President of the Union County Police Chiefs Association. “The body-worn camera gives a true account of events, and may even reveal evidence that was not initially seen.”

The Prosecutor’s Office distributed approximately $181,000 of its forfeiture funds to six municipal police departments in 2018 to cover significant shares of their first-year startup costs for their body-worn cameras, ancillary equipment, and file storage. All of those departments are currently in various active stages of body-worn camera deployment, a process anticipated to be completed early in 2019.

Thursday’s announcement comes a little more than three years after the Prosecutor’s Office launched what to that point was New Jersey’s largest county-funded, multi-municipality body-worn camera pilot program of its kind, with nine departments signing up for the initial rollout in late 2015. The remaining departments in Union County independently implemented body-worn cameras at various points during the next several years.

The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office awarded 15 police departments in Union County a total of $376,500 to purchase body-worn cameras as part of past funding programs that offered over $3 million to police agencies across the state to acquire the devices.

“I share a firm commitment with law enforcement across New Jersey to fostering stronger police-community relations through increased transparency and accountability,” said Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. “Body-worn cameras are an important tool for promoting confidence in our police officers by holding them accountable, while also protecting them from unfounded complaints and helping them gather evidence.  I applaud Prosecutor Monahan and leaders throughout Union County for recognizing that these devices make officers more effective and enhance the safety of the public and police alike.” 

The first directive issued by Attorney General Grewal after taking office established a policy that made body- and dash-camera videos of police deadly force incidents subject to public release, following a formal request, once the initial investigation of the incident is substantially complete, typically within 20 days of the incident. 

The body-worn cameras used by patrol officers throughout Union County are activated at the start of calls for service – officer safety permitting – and during any on-duty encounter with a civilian, with several exceptions for certain situations and in sensitive venues such as schools or houses of worship. Circumstances in which the cameras are in use include traffic stops, vehicle searches, arrests, and more.

During the course of each workday, officers also “tag” their videos electronically, filing them into different categories, and this can be accomplished using a variety of devices, from smart phones to laptops. Once each officer returns to police headquarters following a shift, he or she removes their camera and places it in a docking station; at that point the footage is uploaded to cloud storage or local servers while the device also recharges automatically.

Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders Chairman Sergio Granados also joined Prosecutor Monahan and the police chiefs Thursday to voice his support.

“Among our Board of Chosen Freeholders’ ‘Moving Union County Forward’ priorities announced at the start of this year, public safety was central among them, and Prosecutor Monahan and our police chiefs working together to achieve full, countywide implementation of body-worn cameras is something that will make public life safer not only for our brave men and women in law enforcement, but also the many citizens they interact with every day,” Chairman Granados said. “And furthermore, it marks another step toward ensuring that transparency and accountability in Union County are more than just words, but ideals, backed up by action.”

Prosecutor Monahan thanked all of the municipal elected officials who approved funding for future body-worn camera costs, as well as all of the local chiefs – including Union County Police Chief Chris Debbie, Union County Public Safety Director Andrew Moran, Union County Sheriff Peter Corvelli, Berkeley Heights Police Chief John DiPasquale, Clark Police Chief Pedro Matos, Cranford Police Chief Ryan Greco, Elizabeth Police Chief John Brennan and Public Safety Director James Cosgrove, Fanwood Police Chief Richard Trigo, Garwood Police Chief James Wright, Hillside Police Chief Vincent Ricciardi, Kean University Police Director Mark Farsi, Kenilworth Police Chief John Zimmerman, Linden Police Chief David Hart, Mountainside Police Officer-in-Charge Joseph Giannuzzi, New Providence Police Chief Anthony Buccelli Jr., Plainfield Police Director Carl Riley, Rahway Police Chief John Rodger, Roselle Police Chief Brian Barnes, Roselle Park Police Chief Paul Morrison, Scotch Plains Police Chief Theodore Conley, Springfield Police Chief John Cook, Summit Police Chief Robert Weck, Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro, Winfield Police Chief Walter Berg, and Union Township Police Director Daniel Zieser.

The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General in July 2015 issued a 24-page directive governing the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement statewide; it can be viewed in its entirety online.