County of Union, New Jersey

Goal of program to stimulate public project of economic, transportation, social and governmental importance to local municipalities

ELIZABETH, UNION COUNTY, NJ—The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders today announced the creation of the Union County Infrastructure and Municipal Aid grant program, designed to stimulate the development of local projects of economic, social, transport and governmental importance to local municipalities.

The matching grant initiative will make available a total of $1.5 million to Union County’s 21 municipalities to achieve and will assist in expanding the ability of municipalities to accomplish tasks undertaken in calendar year 2015. The funding for the grant is provided through the proceeds from the sale of Runnells Specialized Hospital.

“Our overarching goal is to provide an economic boost to our municipalities in an area where State and Federal assistance has been lapsing,” said Freeholder Christopher Hudak. “At the same time, this will stimulate some job growth and provide an important public benefit in helping towns to build important development projects or address short-term or long-term governmental, social, transportation matters that require attention.”

The Infrastructure program was developed through the County Freeholder’s Fiscal Committee, which Hudak chaired, and included Freeholders Alexander Mirabella, Sergio Granados and Angel Estrada.

Some examples of projects eligible for this grant are: 

1. Downtown Development Projects
2. Economic Development Plans
3. Large and small scale construction projects
4. Community Enhancement projects
5. Master Plans/Feasibility Studies/Transportation Plans
6. Child Care/Senior Care Infrastructure Projects
7. Road Work, including pothole repair and structural enhancements

Each of the twenty-one municipalities may apply for one or more projects. Projects must be current initiatives, and all funding awarded must be expended by December 31, 2015. The application period will be limited to 30 days, commencing on April 16, 2015 and concluding on May 18, 2015.

Municipalities that are interested in applying for the grant should contact the office of Deputy County Manager William Reyes Jr. at 908-527-4200 to obtain the forms.

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Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders gathered to congratulate Amilcar “Mickey” Colon, on his swearing-in as Union County Undersheriff earlier this month. Undersheriff Colon is the first person of Latino heritage to achieve the position of Undersheriff in Union County (l-r, Freeholders Sergio Granados and Bette Jane Kowalski, Vice Chairman Bruce H. Bergen, Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh, Undersheriff Amilcar Colon, and Freeholders Alexander Mirabella, Angel G. Estrada, and Christopher Hudak).  Photo credit: Jim Lowney/County of Union.

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Union County Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh and Freeholder Vernell Wright joined Union County College President Dr. Margaret McMenamin, Union County College Board of Trustees Chair Victor Richel and Union County College Foundation Chair Mary Zimmerman in congratulating several of the students who received Freeholders Scholarships during the annual scholarship reception on the college’s Cranford campus. Nineteen students received Freeholders Scholarships. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

 (From left) Union County Freeholder Vice Chairman Bruce H. Bergen, Dr. Jonathan Lurie of Rutgers University, Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi, Civil War reenactor Matt Ryan of Kenilworth and Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan attended the Union County Civil War Sesquicentennial closing ceremony at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth.

Dr. Lurie presented a lecture entitled “The Ongoing Relevance of the Civil War: Ambiguity and Ambivalence.” Reenactor Matt Ryan, a student at the Union County Academy for Performing Arts, recited the poem “O Captain, My Captain” by Walt Whitman. County Clerk Rajoppi is the chairwoman of the Union County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee.

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Department of Parks and Recreation invite families with children of all ages and adults to celebrate wildlife and embrace environmental conservation at an exciting event at Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside on Sunday, April 26. 

The annual “Wild Earth Fest” will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. Admission is $4 per person; children 6 years and younger are free. Admission includes entrance to the “Touch A Truck” event being held concurrently in the Watchung Reservation lower loop parking lot.  No pets will be permitted to these events.

“The Wild Earth Fest event is an entertaining way for families to celebrate the Earth,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh, “People of all ages can learn to become eco-friendly and increase their awareness of wildlife conservation.”

Featured this year, Jennifer Pena of “Flight of the Raptor” will present the natural history of birds of prey.  Learn about their nesting habits, hunting adaptations and flight patterns.  LIVE raptors displayed may include a peregrine falcon, kestrel, owls and a Harris’s hawk. 

Join Cyril the Sorcerer as he tells the tale of monsters, magic and too much trash during his magical, interactive performance “Recycling is Magic” in the auditorium offered twice during the afternoon. 

Glenn “Wreckin Ball” Waldeck and daughter Holly will delight the audience on a musical journey that touches on an array of topics and encourages participation through singing, dancing and other antics. His songs have been heard on NBC, PBS, CNN and the Discovery Channel.

Back by popular demand, Vinnie Reo and his wolves from Wolf Visions, will dispel the myths of the “Big Bad Wolf” and explain their role in keeping a balanced ecosystem.  Guests can meet a snake or turtle from Trailside’s reptile collection throughout the afternoon.  Ongoing activities include Eco-Art for a nominal fee, free face-painting and Recycling Olympics.

Vendors and exhibitors include NJ Audubon Society, Newark Bait and Flycasting, NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, GAIA Wildlife Center, Save Barnegat Bay, Sierra Club, AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassador, US Department of Agriculture, NJ Forest Fire Service and much more. Refreshments and wildlife-related art and gifts will be available for purchase. 

Winners of the Environmental Hero Awards and the Wildlife Photography Contest will be honored at 2 p.m.

For more information about “Wild Earth Fest” or any other upcoming programs or events at Trailside, please call 908-789-3670 or visit www.ucnj.org/trailside. Trailside Nature and Science Center is located at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside and is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

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Artist residents of Union County who are 60 years of age or older are invited to participate and exhibit an original work of art in the Union County Senior Citizens Art Exhibit, which features artwork that has been completed within the last three years.  Sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, the exhibit is open to entrants who are either amateur/non-professional or professional in status.  Any person who meets at least two of the following criteria is considered professional: a) sold the type of art entered in the exhibition through commercial channels; b) exhibited in a professional gallery; c) held professional membership in a guild or association.

The annual Union County Senior Citizens Art Exhibit will be held at the Atrium of the Elizabethtown Gas Company, Liberty Hall Center, 1085 Morris Avenue, Union.  The exhibit will run from June 1 to July 13, with an artists’ reception scheduled for Wednesday June 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Following are the 10 categories of eligible work:

oil, acrylic, watercolor (includes gouache)

pastel (including chalk, charcoal and oil pastel)

prints and drawings (includes drawings with pencil, pen, ink, graphite, and prints such as etching, engraving, lithograph, woodcut, monoprint, monotype, silkscreen, etc.)

mixed media (combines two or more media, no one of which clearly predominates; includes collage and assemblage)

sculpture (designed in three dimensions, carved or constructed in any medium, abstract or figurative, painted or unpainted)

craft (one-of-a-kind creations only, no craft kits or molds)

digital/computer art (artwork generated or altered using computer graphics software)

photography.  Please note:  photos taken with a digital camera, digitally-altered photos, and images made using a scanner must be entered in the Photography category.

Three professional artists will judge the entries. Awards will go to first, second, third place and honorable mention winners in each category.  First place winners in all categories go on to compete in September at the New Jersey State Senior Citizens Art Show which will take place at the Meadow Lakes retirement community (www.meadowlakesonline.org) in East Windsor. 

Guidelines require that hanging artwork, crafts and photos must be no more than 36 inches and no less than 10 inches in any dimension (including matting and framing).  Sculpture or 3-D crafts may not exceed 20 inches in any dimension (measurements must include any base for the sculpture.  All works must be properly labeled and delivered “show-ready” with screw eyes and wiring ready for hanging.  Where necessary, pictures must be protected with glass, Plexiglas, Mylar or other clear material.  Plexiglas is strongly recommended on pieces over 24 inches.

For a copy of the application, call Nicole DeAugustine, Senior Art Show Coordinator, at the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, 908-558-2550, or email culturalinfo@ucnj.org.  Relay users dial 711.  Mail completed applications to 633 Pearl Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07202; or fax to: 908-558-2652 on or before Wednesday, May 20.

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The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders announces that its next two mobile paper-shredding programs for personal, confidential documents will be available on Wednesday, April 22 (Earth Day) at Warinanco Park in Roselle, and on Friday, April 24, at Cedar Brook Park in Plainfield.

“Union County’s mobile document-shredding service helps residents fight identity theft and eliminate clutter in their homes,” said Freeholder Christopher Hudak, liaison to the Solid Waste Advisory Council. “It is a cost-effective way to assist our recycling efforts and it ties in with Union County’s other Go Green Initiatives.”

The April 22^nd shredding event will take place at Warinanco Park in Roselle at the parking area by the Warinanco Ice Skating Rink. The April 25^th shredding event will take place at Cedar Brook Park, located off Park Avenue in Plainfield, near the border with South Plainfield. NEXCUT Shredding of Elizabeth will be shredding documents at the sites from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. The shredding events will end before 1 p.m. if the shredding truck reaches capacity.

All Union County residents are eligible to use the paper-shredding service. In an effort to accommodate everyone, there is a limit of four, 10-pound bags or boxes per person. Documents should not be bound. Please remove plastic binders and paperclips. Paper that is wet/damp will not be accepted. Residents should continue to recycle non-confidential papers and magazines with their municipal recycling program.

Documents are put into 96-gallon containers provided by the shredding company. The items are then dumped onto a conveyor belt and shredded on site. Participants are welcome to view the shredding process via a closed-circuit television. The shredded documents are then recycled, shipped to paper mills and used as pulp. The next shredding event will take place Saturday, May 9, at Alcatel/Lucent in New Providence.

The mobile shredding program is paid for through New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Recycling Enhancement Act Grant Funds. For more information about future events or directions please call the Recycling Hotline at 908-654-9889 or visit us online at www.ucnj.org/recycle .

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