County of Union, New Jersey

 

Union County, NJ – The Deserted Village of Feltville is a historic jewel tucked away in Union County’s Watchung Reservation. Earlier this month it received a polish from a hardworking group of volunteers organized by the Linde Group of Berkeley Heights.

“It is truly inspiring to see local businesses and residents give their time and energy to help preserve one of Union County’s most unique and cherished historic landmarks,” said Union County Freeholder Chairman Mohammed Jalloh. “The Linde Group has set a wonderful example of community service.”

As participants in Union County’s Adopt-A-Park program, the Linde Group volunteers came to the Deserted Village of Feltville on Friday, July 17. With the help of Union County staff, they cleaned floors, roofs and gutters at the church/general store, planted a wildflower meadow to control erosion, removed invasive plants, cleared weeds, and installed split rail fencing.

Located within Union County’s Watchung Reservation, the Deserted Village still retains 10 of its 22 original wood frame buildings, including the church/store and a former carriage house called Masker’s Barn.

Its origins have been traced to 1736, when Peter Willcocks built a sawmill along the Blue Brook to produce lumber for farmers settling the frontier in the area of present-day Berkeley Heights and New Providence.

New York businessman David Felt bought the site in 1845, in order to expand his printing and book finishing business. He built a town for his workers and named it Feltville.

By 1850, the population of Feltville had grown to 175 people and business was booming. But David Felt retired in 1860 and sold his property. Six other businesses were tried at the site over the next 20 years. As all of them failed, the residents of Feltville moved away and the former mill town earned the title, “Deserted Village.”

In 1882, Warren Ackerman bought the property and converted it to a summer resort that he called Glenside Park.  The resort was popular for more than three decades. It closed in 1916 after vacationers, enabled by the invention of the automobile, discovered a new summer spot called the Jersey Shore. 

A new era for the Deserted Village began in 1921, when the Union County Park Commission was established to form one of the first county park systems in the entire nation.  Glenside Park was purchased for inclusion into the Watchung Reservation, which became one of the first parks in the new Union County Park System.

Today the Deserted Village is the scene of guided tours and other history programs, educational and cultural activities, and the County’s annual “Haunted Hayride” event.

Several buildings have been restored with the help of Union County and State historic preservation grants. The Church/Store is open as a Visitor Center from noon to 5 p.m. on most Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

Masker’s Barn was fully renovated in 2011.  It is used for lectures, meetings and public programs, and is also available for private events such as birthday parties, bridal and baby showers, and weddings.

Directions and more historical details about the Deserted Village are available on the Union County website at ucnj.org/dv.

For information about booking an event at Masker’s Barn, visit the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation online at ucnj.org/dv or call 908-654-9805.

Individuals as well as school, community, and corporate groups can find out more about Union County’s Adopt-A-Park Program by calling Parks and Recreation at 908-789-3683 or by visiting ucnj.org.

Photo caption (all photos): Volunteers from the Linde Group of Berkeley Heights spruced up the Deserted Village of Feltville for the Union County Adopt-a-Park program in July. Photo credit: Betty Ann Kelly/County of Union.

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Union County Freeholders Sergio Granados, Christopher Hudak and Bette Jane Kowalski congratulate (from 3^rd left) Omar Nunez of Elizabeth, Jonathan DeDomenico of Westfield and Matt Scalise of Kenilworth on being named outstanding players in the Union County Baseball Association’s 2015 summer youth leagues during the end-of-season picnic in Warinanco Park in Roselle. They each received the John “Butch” Henry Award for their respective leagues.

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholders Sergio Granados, Christopher Hudak and Bette Jane Kowalski congratulate Andrew Dolan of Cranford (center ) and Elgin Ebbesen of Hillside on being named the Most Valuable Players in their respective leagues in the Union County Baseball Association’s 2015 summer youth leagues during the end-of-season picnic in Warinanco Park in Roselle.

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholder Sergio Granados congratulates students who took part in the Union County Freeholders College for Teens during the class commencement at Union County College in Cranford. This summer more than a hundred students from throughout Union County completed the three-week program which offers teens in grades 9 through 12 opportunities to explore a variety of career choices while experiencing life on a college campus.

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders sponsors the free program for high school students each summer. Since College for Teens began in 2001, more than 1,000 students from all 21 municipalities in Union County have completed the program.

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

UNION COUNTY, NJ—For the second year in a row, Union County experienced one of the highest wage increases of any large County in America, ranking within the top 20 nationally, and second highest in the state of New Jersey.

Union County realized a 4.5 percent average weekly wage percent increase from 2013-2014, marking the second year in a row of high gains. From 2012-2013, Union County averaged a 5.2 percent increase,  making it fourth highest among the nation’s most populous counties. 

Atlantic County was the only other County with a higher wage increase, but economists of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics attributed it to a five percent increase in that County’s unemployment rate last year—the largest in the America.

“Our investments in Union County’s workforce as a whole are assisting our residents to enjoy the higher wage increases as the economy has improved,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh.  “The County’s has worked to foster a climate that encourages employment growth, productivity and sustainability.”

Chairman Jalloh has initiated an expansion of the County’s Workforce Innovation Business Center (WIB Center)  as part of his initiatives on behalf of County government for 2015. Over the past two years, the Freeholder Board has invested well over $2 million into job training, placements, programs for entrepreneurs, and for businesses that hire county residents. To date this past year, the WIB Center has worked with its private sector partners to identify 800 new jobs for County residents, and is in the process of providing training and job placements.

The Workforce Innovation Business Center  just worked with Whole Foods to train and hire approximately 187 people for positions for their new store that is opening in Clark in August, and other regional locations. Whole Foods has committed to continuing to use the WIB Center at Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth to continue to identify County residents for any jobs that may arise in the region.

Recently, the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders approved funding for United Way of Greater Union (UWGUC) to implement Chairman Jalloh’s Focus on Families initiative that will integrate economic development, workforce development (in conjunction with the WIB) and family services in a comprehensive effort to support families, particularly those most in need. The initiative calls for the building of two new Family Success Centers (Union and Rahway) and the implementation of a Youth Employment Program to begin later in the year.

Finally as part of Chairman Jalloh’s initiatives, the County’s Economic Development Department worked to start an Economic Development response team that has gone town-to-town to meet with elected officials to assess their needs, have an open dialogue and determine what the county do to meet their means.

For more information on County services and programs please visit www.ucnj.org

For more statistical information on wage growth in NJ, go to: http://www.bls.gov/regions/new-york-new-jersey/news-release/countyemploymentandwages_newjersey.htm

 

 

Photos from our Hey Bulldog – Beatles Tribute concert featured free UC-Get-Fit community yoga.  View more great upcoming events, sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders at www.ucnj.org/summer.

Union County, NJ  –  Nearly ten years ago, Union County workers and volunteers began planting native wildflowers around the lake at Warinanco Park in Roselle. Today, what was once a tattered, goose-infested lawn has become a colorful wildflower meadow and a thriving nature habitat.

“Warinanco Park has always been a popular spot, now more so than ever – with wildlife as well as people,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh.

The wildflower meadow provides nectar, seeds and fruits that nourish birds, butterflies, moths, bees and other valuable pollinators.  The meadow and nearby trees also provide nesting habitat and shelter for birds, along with cooling shade that helps to keep the lake healthy for fish.

The plantings are designed to transition through the growing season by color, from white daisies and golden yellow “sneezeweed” in the spring to orange butterfly weed, blue vervain, pink Joe-pye weed, purple New York ironweed, and pink and white rose mallow throughout the summer. The parade of colors continues in the fall, with pink asters.

On recent visits, butterflies spotted in the wildflower meadow included the Tiger Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, Least Skipper, Pearl Crescent, Silver Spotted Skipper and Buckeye. Possible sightings of Comma and Skipper butterflies were also noted.

The wildflower meadow is part of a broader shoreline restoration project completed in 2006. The project, partly funded by a grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, was designed to prevent algae blooms and improve water quality in the lake.

“Though one might think a wildflower meadow is self-sustaining, it does require a degree of tending. Our Adopt-a-Park volunteers deserve the credit for nurturing the meadow through the years, and making sure that the native wildflowers have room to grow,” said Jalloh.

Volunteer groups work regularly in the meadow to remove invasive plants such as mugwort, spotted knapweed and bindweed. Volunteers also repair and replace fencing, and remove litter and debris. They have also planted thousands of trees, shrubs, and aquatic plants along the shoreline to control erosion and to help filter out pollutants such as goose and dog waste.

“Each year, a score of different organizations and hundreds of volunteers help to conserve valuable habitat and make sure that our parks are beautiful and welcoming to all,” said Freeholder Sergio Granados, who is the Freeholder Board’s liaison to the Parks and Recreation Department.

Among the many Adopt-a-Park groups working at Warinanco Park are the Green Team from Groundwork Elizabeth, the Haitian Flag Day Committee, Jersey Cares, and CIT. Morgan Stanley and Phillips 66 also provided funding for wildflower seeds and new fencing, in addition to organizing employee volunteers.

County work crews also mow the Warinanco wildflower meadow one to two times yearly. The carefully timed mowings are designed to reduce woody vegetation and discourage the spread of invasive species.

“As one of the original County parks designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm, Warinanco continues to fulfill its promise of open space preservation and nature conservation, with abundant opportunities for organized sports and passive recreation,” said Granados.

County residents and businesses are encouraged to introduce native species on their property, to help promote habitats for valuable pollinators while reducing or eliminating the cost of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. Because native species are drought hardy, they also save money on water bills and lawn care.

In addition to supporting the improved habitat in Warinanco, the Freeholder Board has also worked to upgrade the park’s popular recreation facilities.

“Every summer Warinanco Park has a full slate of team sports and free outdoor movies, along with families enjoying the picnic groves and pathways,” said Jalloh. “We have a paddle boat concession and a new sprayground, and this year marks the first season for our new Warinanco track and field facility, which hosted the National Disability Championships earlier this month.”

Plans are also under way for an expanded new Warinanco Ice Skating Center in the park, making it available for different activities throughout the year.

For more information on planting native species, download the free Union County “Plant This, Not That!” guide from the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation, a Girl Scout Gold Award project of Union County resident Natalie Salinardo.

Union County residents can join Adopt-a-Park on an individual basis, or as part of a business, school or community group. For more information, visit Adopt-a-Park online at ucnj.org or call the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation, 908-789-3683.

Photo credit (all photos): Wildflower meadow at Warinanco Park, Betty Ann Kelly/County of Union.

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