County of Union, New Jersey

The Hillside Chapter of UNICO recently held a Veterans Appreciation Breakfast and Program at the Hillside Knights of Columbus in Hillside.

Well over 100 Veterans from all parts of the state, including the Lyons Hospital of the Veterans Administration in Lyons, attended the free breakfast and program. Donations were collected and turned over to Lyons Hospital for use for the Veterans.

Left to Right Hillside UNICO Chapter President Angelo J. Bonanno, Union County Sheriff Joe Cryan, Union County Freeholder Alexander Mirabella, Hillside Council President and Third Ward Councilman Don DeAugustine, and Adam Samiec, a Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient for the Korean War, Hillside.
Sitting: World War II Veteran Mario Mauro, of Hillside, and World War II Veteran Steven Pega of Cranford.

Union County Freeholder Vice Chairman Sergio Granados and Freeholder Vernell Wright joined Assemblyman Jamel Holley, Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage, Elizabeth Councilman Manny Grova, Rahway Councilman David Brown, Community Access Unlimited (CAU) Executive Director Sidney Blanchard and other officials in cutting the ribbon officially opening CAU’s new headquarters at 80 Grand Street in Elizabeth.

CAU intends for the new 60,000-square-foot, five-story building to be used by both the agency and the wider community while also serving as a symbol of advocacy and community integration.

CAU is a statewide Elizabeth-based nonprofit providing support programs and services to adults with disabilities as well as youth served under the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to enable them to live independently in the community, providing support in areas including housing, vocational skills and life-skills training, education, advocacy and recreation.

Tree to be moved on December 6th

A beautiful blue spruce from the home of Mr. and Mrs. Victor Fuzo in Roselle Park will be donated on December 6th and will adorn the Courthouse Rotunda during the Holiday season.

“This is the 60th anniversary of this tradition and it’s something that we all look forward to seeing at the Courthouse,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “On behalf of my colleagues on the Board, I would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Fuzo for their donation.”

Victor Fuzo, a former Roselle Park Councilman who is also a good friend of Freeholder Alexander Mirabella, said he planted the spruce more than 35 years ago, and that it is a “perfect” tree in its appearance, with no blemishes.

“I planted it when it was only 18-inches high in the backyard, and then moved it to the front,” he said.

On the morning of Tuesday, December 6th, a crew from the Union County Shade Tree Bureau will go to Roselle Park to cut the tree and load in onto a flatbed truck. Once the tree reaches the courthouse at 2 Broad Street in Elizabeth, a crane will hoist it onto the front steps.

Once inside the courthouse rotunda, the tree is tied with rope and lifted into a barrel stand that is weighed down with concrete. Then the process of adding lights and ornaments begins.

As in years past, workers will take a few days to decorate the tree, which will require multiple strands of lights. The public is invited to view the tree until about the second week of January.

The public also is invited to participate in a Christmas sing-along around the tree hosted by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, with a visit from Santa Claus. The date for the sing-along will be announced within the next few weeks.

Union County, NJ – Students from the Kean University Center for Leadership and Service bundled up and took rakes and clippers in hand last weekend to prepare Chatfield Garden for chilly weather. The enthusiastic Adopt-a-Park volunteers removed old vegetation to help ensure that the plantings overwinter properly. Chatfield is a formal garden located in Union County’s Warinanco Park, in Roselle. A favorite spot for photographers, it was originally designed for tulips. It is now home to perennials that flower all season, attracting butterflies and other valuable pollinators. Individuals and groups are welcome to join the hundreds of volunteers who participate in Adopt-A-Park projects every year. For more information call the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation at 908-789-3683 or visit ucnj.org/adopt-a-park.

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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’s Aging Services Kiosk will visit six convenient locations in December to help connect seniors, their families and caregivers with helpful resources and services including home delivered meals, respite care, home care and adult day care.

“I’m happy to report that ASK has received an enthusiastic welcome all over Union County,” said Bergen. “ASK offers a personal, one-on-one experience that helps our residents access services and programs that can make a real difference in their lives.”

ASK is staffed by knowledgeable experts from the Division on Aging and Disability Resource Connection of the Union County Department of Human Services.

In addition to providing guidance and information about senior programs, ASK staff can also assist in completing applications and forms.

All Union County residents are invited to attend ASK events in any of the following municipalities in December:

Wednesday, December 7
Linden Public Library
31 E. Henry Street
Linden, 07036
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Friday, December 9
Mountainside Municipal Building
1385 Route 22 East
Mountainside, 07092
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Monday, December 12
Clark Public Library
303 Westfield Avenue
Clark, 07066
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Thursday, December 15
Westfield Community Center
558 West Broad Street
Westfield 07090
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Wednesday, December 21
Fanwood Public Library
5 Forest Road
Fanwood, 07023
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Thursday, December 22
Berkeley Heights Public Library
290 Plainfield Avenue
Berkeley Heights, 07922
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

The goal of the Division on Aging and Disability Resource Connection is to promote wellness, independence, dignity and choice for seniors and their families. It is one of the Area Agencies on Aging established under the federal Older Americans Act.

For information about all services for seniors in Union County call 888-280-8226 toll free or 908-527-4870, or visit online at 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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The Bayonne Bridge, Holland Tunnel and Goethals Bridge will institute lane closings this weekend and/or next week due to ongoing construction and repair projects. 

The closings, scheduled in conjunction with other regional agencies to minimize traffic impacts, are as follows: 

 

Bayonne Bridge: 

• The bridge will be closed from 9 p.m. Friday, November 18 through 8 a.m. Saturday, November 19 to accommodate construction on the “Raise the Roadway” project. 

• On Monday, November 21 and Tuesday, November 22 the bridge will close form 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.  It will then remain open through the Thanksgiving holiday week, and will close again at 9 a.m. Monday, November 28. 

Holland Tunnel: 

• One westbound lane in the Holland Tunnel will close during overnight hours from Sunday, November 20 through Tuesday, November 22, from 11:59 p.m. each night through 5:30 a.m. the following morning.  These closures are necessary for ongoing tunnel repairs.

Goethals Bridge:

• One westbound lane on the New York side of the Goethals Bridge, between the bridge itself and the toll plaza, will close from 10 p.m. Sunday, November 20 through 5 a.m. Monday, November 21.  This closure is necessary to accommodate work on the Goethals Bridge Replacement Project.
• One eastbound lane across the Goethals Bridge will close from 10 p.m. Monday, November 21 through 5 a.m. Tuesday, November 22.  This closure is necessary to accommodate work on the Goethals Bridge Replacement Project. 

To receive real time traffic updates, travelers should register for the Port Authority’s Bridge and Tunnel Alerts at http://www.paalerts.com/, call 511 or visit www.511NY.org or www.511NJ.org. 

Union County, NJ – A multi-age civic partnership is transforming a roadside parcel of County parkland into a lush, natural habitat for the endangered Monarch butterfly and many other valuable pollinators including butterflies, bees and birds.

“This new meadow will serve as a valuable teaching tool for the thousands of children and adults who visit Trailside every year,” said Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “It represents the work of many civic stakeholders, and on behalf of the Freeholder Board I would especially like to thank the Trailside Museum Association for their generous contribution.”

The new pollinator meadow is located in Union County’s Watchung Reservation, along the service road by the Trailside Nature and Science Center at 251 New Providence Road in Mountainside.

Preliminary work on the meadow took place last month, when Girl Scouts troop from Mountainside and Westfield planted milkweed seedlings. The ground was mowed and prepared for planting by personnel from the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation.

After a three-day period of frost this winter, the area will be seeded with additional native wildflowers and grasses that attract pollinators including coreopsis, Joe Pye Weed, wild bergamot, tall white beardtongue, New England aster, switch grass, little bluestem, Indian grass, big-leaf mountain mint and New York Ironwood.

The seeds and milkweed seedlings were provided through a grant of $1,250 from the Trailside Museum Association, a volunteer organization that supports Trailside with donations of volunteer time as well as financial assistance for projects in and around the facility. The seeds were purchased from the New Jersey nursery Toadshade Wildflower Farm.

The Borough of Mountainside has also played a role in the project. The Mountainside Fire Department helped the Girl Scouts get their seedlings off to a good start by bringing water to the meadow.

Common milkweed, swamp milkweed and butterfly weed are the only food that monarch butterfly caterpillars eat.  In recent years, monarch butterfly populations have decreased dramatically due to habitat loss and food availability.

“The new meadow enables Union County to play a role in a global effort to conserve our pollinator population,” said Bergen. “We really can make a difference, one meadow at a time.”

The new Trailside pollinator meadow is the latest in a series of habitats recently established in Union County parks. They are all fully accessible to the public and they provide colorful opportunities for photography enthusiasts.

These include the existing Butterfly Garden adjacent to Trailside, and the wildflower meadow, shoreline plantings and Chatfield Garden at Warinanco Park in Roselle. The Chatfield Garden, originally kept as a tulip bed, was converted to a pollinator-friendly perennial garden several years ago.

Echo Lake Park in Mountainside features pollinator-friendly shoreline plantings, and Cedar Brook Park in Plainfield has shoreline plantings and the historic Shakespeare Garden, which attracts many pollinators.

The new Union County Means Green Community Garden Grants program has also provided additional support for pollinators in local neighborhoods. The garden grant program is part of Chairman Bergen’s “Union County Means Green” 2016 initiatives. It covers the establishment of pollinator plots in community gardens.

One such garden, the new Scotch Plains-Fanwood Community Garden, became home to Monarch caterpillars in its very first season. The garden is located on a formerly barren parcel of land behind the historic Frazee House, off Raritan Road in Scotch Plains.

Individuals and groups are welcome to volunteer in Union County parks by joining Adopt-a-Park and its companion program, Adopt-a-Trail. The two programs are run by the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation, providing hundreds of volunteer opportunities annually.

For more information call 908-789-3683 or visit ucnj.org/adopt-a-park.

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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 – More than 40 volunteers gathered in Union County’s historically significant Ash Brook Reservation in Scotch Plains last Saturday to help prevent flooding on a popular hiking trail. Formerly known as Ash Swamp or Ash Brook Swamp, the Reservation is credited with enabling the Continental Army to escape annihilation in 1777, during the sprawling Battle of Short Hills.

The volunteers, who were coordinated by Union County Trail Steward Marc Grobman, also cleared debris from trails in other areas of the Reservation.

“Marc is one of our most outstanding volunteers, and his service in the cause of enjoying and preserving our parks is deeply appreciated,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “On behalf of the Freeholder Board, many thanks to Marc and all of those who contributed their time and effort to this project.”

As a volunteer Trail Steward in Union County’s Adopt-a-Trail program, Grobman has taken responsibility for ensuring that the white-blazed trail in Ash Brook Reservation is walkable and free of fallen limbs and other obstacles.

The trail begins next to the Union County Police Academy, in the rear of the Union County Vocational-Technical Schools District campus at 1776 Raritan Road in Scotch Plains.

The volunteer group of 40 high school students and one adult represented seven different municipalities both in and out of Union County, including Elizabeth, Scotch Plains, Plainfield, Perth Amboy, East Orange, Maplewood, and Short Hills, as congregants of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Scotch Plains Stake.

Among other trailwork, the group removed leaves and dead tree limbs clogging a ditch under a footbridge. The blockage was putting the adjacent trail at risk of flooding during wet weather, creating potentially hazardous conditions for hikers.

The footbridge represents another volunteer effort in Union County parks. It was recently installed as a volunteer Eagle Scout project by Douglas Keating of Plainfield.

Keating’s project includes the installation of a kiosk by the trail. It houses a poster created by the Eagle Scout, describing the historical significance of Ash Brook in the Revolutionary War.

“Thanks to all of our volunteers, visitors to Ash Brook can enjoy hiking through this beautiful park while picking up some fascinating details about the bravery and tenacity of our founders,” said Bergen.

A self-guided walking tour that traces the Battle of Short Hills is available on the County website, ucnj.org.

Individuals and groups are invited to join Adopt-a-Trail and its companion program, Adopt-a-Park. The two programs are run by the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation, providing hundreds of volunteer opportunities annually.

For more information call 908-789-3683 or visit ucnj.org/adopt-a-park.

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Photo credit: Carl Nuzman.

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.

Connect with Union County on social media.

Union County, NJ – Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi advises travelers that a new U.S. State Department rule requires persons who normally wear glasses to remove them when having their passport photo taken. The new rule only covers passport applications submitted on or after November 1.

“If you already have a valid passport and you are wearing your glasses in your photo, or if you submitted a passport application by October 31 which included a photo wherein you were wearing your glasses, you do not need to have a new photo taken,” said Ms. Rajoppi.

Ms. Rajoppi noted that her office has received a number of phone calls from travelers who are confused about the new rule.

“Some media reports about the new rule have given the impression that everyone who wears glasses needs a new photo, and that is simply not the case,” said Ms. Rajoppi. “Your current passport is still valid until the expiration date.”

The no-glasses rule is designed to help the US State Department process passport applications more quickly, by ensuring that the applicant’s eyes are clearly visible in the photo. 

“My staff is trained in the standards promulgated by the US Department of State relative to the photo requirements and experienced in photographing applicants for their passports which will ensure that your photo meets all requirements and your application is not delayed because of a bad photo,” said Ms. Rajoppi.

The County Clerk staff can take a passport photo for $10.00 at either the Elizabeth or Westfield location. The fee is comparable to other vendors in the Union County area.

The County Clerk’s Main Office in Elizabeth is located in the County Courthouse, at 2 Broad Street. The Annex Office in Westfield is located in the Colleen Fraser Building in the County complex at 300 North Avenue East.

For more information about passport services from the County Clerk, call the Main Office at 908-527-4966 or the Annex Office at 908-654-9859, or visit online at ucnj.org/county-clerk.

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Visit the County Clerk’s new elections website, unioncountyvotes.com.

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Nominations are being accepted now through the end of November for the 25th annual Women of Excellence awards.  The awards highlight the powerful impact that women have on the Union County community. The deadline to submit a nomination for consideration is December 1, 2016.

“Each year, the Women of Excellence awards celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of women of diverse backgrounds from throughout Union County who have distinguished themselves in their careers and communities,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “I encourage local government agencies, businesses and non-profits, and residents to nominate a woman of excellence, whether professional or volunteer, to be recognized for their commitment to Union County.”

Sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Commission on the Status of Women, the awards program celebrates women who live or work in Union County and have made important contributions of professional or volunteer work. This year, the new Union County Office on Women – a 2016 initiative of Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen – joins in sponsoring the Women of Excellence awards.

Women can be nominated for their contributions in the categories of Arts and Humanities, Business and Entrepreneurial, Community Service, Education, Government, Law, Law Enforcement, Medicine and Health Care, or Women’s Advocacy.

The Women of Excellence Award is open to all women, 21 years or older, who live, work, or volunteer in Union County.

Awardees will receive a Freeholder Resolution in their honor and will be celebrated at the annual Women of Excellence gala awards dinner, to be held on March 24, 2017 at the Clubhouse at Union County’s Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth.

For more information about submitting a Women of Excellence nomination, or to download a nomination form, visit ucnj.org/women-of-excellence-award. Questions about the nomination process can be emailed to Jane O’Hara, johara1217@gmail.com.

All nominations should be mailed to Jane O’Hara at 708 Newark Avenue, Westfield, NJ 07090 and postmarked no later than December 1, 2016.