County of Union, New Jersey

Union County, NJ – Now that milder weather is here, road crews will be out in force to repair the many potholes that cropped up this winter.

“This has been an especially difficult winter, and we want to get our roads back in shape as quickly as possible,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “As you drive, please be mindful that crews will be working in the roadways.”

County roads are identified by their blue route signs, which include the letters “CR” followed by a three-digit number.

To report a pothole or any other issue with a County road, use an online form available through the Union County Department of Public Works and Facilities Management at ucnj.org.

Persons without Internet access can report potholes on Union County roads by calling 908-789-3660.

For potholes on state highways, call the New Jersey Department of Transportation at 1-800-POTHOLE or use the online form at nj.gov/transportation.

For local roads, contact the municipality in which the road is located. Website links for all 21 Union County municipalities are available through the County website, ucnj.org/municipalities.

To plan your commute around major road projects that may disrupt traffic patterns in Union County, visit the “Road Construction Update” page at ucnj.org/traffic. For all mass transit information, visit Union County ConneXions at ucnj.org/connect.

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Please join the County of Union online at ucnj.org, on Facebook at ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter at twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Photo credit (cropped): Courtesy of NJ DOT.

Union County, NJ – A group of 54 teachers and community volunteers braved the icy grip of winter to get a running start on the spring planting season, at last month’s “Get Your Youth and Community Garden Growing” conference. The event was conducted by experts from the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County at the County’s Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside.

“We had a great turnout for this conference. Everyone left with useful information on how to do a community garden — just what we needed on a snowy day in February!” said Union County Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, who stopped by to greet participants.

The conference covered all the basics of starting a successful garden for educational purposes, along with specialty topics including a session on how to grow strawberries.

“These educators and volunteers will reach hundreds of young people and adults with hands-on messages about good nutrition, environmental stewardship, neighborhood improvement, teamwork, and just plain fun,” Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh noted. “On behalf of the Freeholder Board, I wish them all a successful garden and a bountiful harvest.”

Union County gardeners can get free, expert help throughout the growing season by contacting the Gardening Helpline at 908-654-9852 or mastergardeners@ucnj.org.

Gardeners can also get face time with the experts – and purchase vegetable seedlings, herbs, and flowering plants – at the annual Spring Garden Fair coming up on Sunday, May 17, at the Demonstration Garden adjacent to Trailside.

The free Gardening Helpline is a project of the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Union County, an all-volunteer group run by the Extension with the support of the Freeholder Board. The group is based at the Extension offices in the County’s Colleen Fraser Building in Westfield. Among their many civic projects, Master Gardeners cultivate the elaborate grounds of the Demonstration Garden and host the Spring Garden Fair.

For information on the Master Gardeners, 4-H, and other Extension programs in Union County, visit ucnj.org/rce.

The Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County is a program of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. Supported in part by the Freeholder Board, it is part of a national network organized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to foster youth development and community health.

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Please join the County of Union online at ucnj.org, on Facebook at ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter at twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Millions of homeowners woke up in their homes this morning thanks to a loan modification. When the threat of foreclosure loomed due to the loss or reduction of income, illness, divorce or other reasons, loan modifications lowered mortgage payments and helped many families stay in their homes and communities.

But did you know scammers are sending fake loan modification packages to get money? More homeowners are learning about the Mortgage Assistance Relief Services (MARS) rule, which made it ILLEGAL to be asked to pay money – for any reason – before the lender approves a loan modification in writing. So scammers created a new trick.

NeighborWorks America wants homeowners to know that scammers may “impersonate” the lender by mailing fake loan modification packages to make the homeowner think the lender has pre-approved a loan modification. The approval may be on letterhead that looks like lender letterhead, and some borrower information may even be accurate. But the contact information will not be from your lender, and there is usually a payment request to start the loan modification. Scammers will ask for these payments – trial payments, reinstatement or processing fees – to be sent to an address not affiliated with your lender or via wire transfer to finalize the modification. This is a scam. 

What can you do? There are five steps to protect yourself from this fake loan modification scam.

To learn more signs, visit NeighborWorks America’s Loan Modification Scam Alert website at http://www.loanscamalert.org.

Union County – The Union County Commission on the Status of Women is pleased to announce the 2015 recipients of the Women of Excellence Awards. The honorees will be celebrated at the 23rd annual Women of Excellence dinner on March 20, 2015, at Galloping Hill Caterers in Union Township

“The Freeholder Board is proud to support the Commission in recognizing the dedication and service of women to their community,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “This year’s nominees are an inspiration to all of us, and I hope that in highlighting their work others will be moved to do the same.”

The Women of Excellence Awards, supported by the Union County Freeholder Board, are presented to recognize and honor distinguished women who reside or work in Union County. The candidates are nominated based on their achievements and the impact of their work on the County of Union in areas like Arts and Humanities, Business, Community Service, Education, Government, Law, Medicine/Health Care and/or Women’s Advocacy.

The 2015 honorees and their respective categories are:

• Karolina Szatkowski- Women’s Advocacy
• Tricia Nering- Humanitarianism
• Kathy Lloyd- Media
• Reverend Joy Mounts- Youth Advocacy
• Ceil Mantia- Lifetime Achievement
• Cynthia Alexander- Community Leader
• Lynne Fitzpatrick- Business Leader
• Amy Boroff- Entrepreneurship
• Erica Bell Foster- Education
• Detective Adrian Gardner- Law Enforcement

Tickets for the dinner are available at $45.00 per person by contacting Carol Lombardo, 908-789-0508.

• Agenda Setting Freeholder Meeting
• Thursday’s Freeholder Agenda Setting Meeting of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders has been canceled due to inclement weather and rescheduled for next Thursday, March 12th, commencing at 7 p.m. The Regular Meeting of the Board of Chosen Freeholders will commence as soon as possible after the Agenda Setting Session.

• Alcohol/Drug Abuse (A/DA) Grant Funds RFP
  • The technical assistance meeting originally scheduled on Thursday, March 5, 2015 at 10AM per the Public Notice and the RFP document for the above RFP has been re-scheduled due to the impending inclement weather in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The technical assistance meeting is now scheduled for and will be held on Friday, March 6, 2015 at 2PM.

Union County, NJ – With another series of winter storms upon us, the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders reminds business owners and managers to clear slush, ice, or piles of snow from any designated handicapped parking spaces at their premises.

Curb cuts, ramps, and other accommodations for people with disabilities should also be checked for obstacles, and cleared if necessary.

“It’s required by state law, but more importantly it’s the right thing to do for your customers – and for our friends, neighbors, and visitors who are living with disabilities,” said Freeholder Mohamed S. Jalloh.

Title 39 of the NJ Motor Vehicles and Traffic Regulations states that “if snow or ice is obstructing the special parking spaces, curb cuts or other improvement designed for accessibility for the disabled, it shall be removed within 48 hours following the weather condition that caused it ceases.” A person who violates this act shall be liable for a penalty of $200 to $500. 

In addition to commercial properties, the law also applies to schools, nonprofit organizations, and any other facility that has been improved to enable access for people with disabilities.

For information on services for people with disabilities in Union County, call the Union County Office for the Disabled at 908-527-4807 or visit online at ucnj.org. Email inquiries are also welcome at disabilityinfo@ucnj.org.

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Please join the County of Union online at ucnj.org, on Facebook at ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter at twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Image credit: Public domain (clipart).

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce the 2015 schedule of its free scrap metal recycling events. A wide variety of metal goods, from household appliances to gutters and sheds, are included in the program.

“This countywide program helps to fill a service gap in some Union County municipalities that currently have no pickup for scrap metal recycling,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed Jalloh. “As a community, we benefit across the board by recycling more and throwing away less waste – and we also stand to gain some revenue from the program.”

The scrap metal recycling program is available for use by households, commercial establishments, nonprofit agencies and other organizations. Starting on Thursday, March 5, and running through November, the program will be available on the first Thursday of each month and the third Saturday of each month (excluding holidays) from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

Scrap metal from any municipality may be brought to any of the following drop-off centers:

• Cranford:  Emergency Services/Traffic Enforcement, 151 Kenilworth Blvd.;
• Rahway:  Service Yard in Rahway Park (near pool), St. Georges Avenue;
• Westfield:  Westfield Conservation Center, 1300 Lamberts Mill Road.

Residents who are recycling refrigerators or freezers are required by law to remove the doors from these appliances. The scrap metal recycling program cannot accept refrigerators or freezers with the doors intact.

Acceptable items for recycling include aluminum scrap, aluminum cans, aluminum siding, bicycles, brass, copper, dishwashers, electric fans, fencing (chain/wire), freezers, gutters, irons, lawn furniture, metal cabinets, metal sheds, microwaves, pots & pans, railings, refrigerators, stoves, tire rims, toasters, washers & dryers, window frames (no glass), and wire hangers.

In the event of extreme bad weather, individual recycling events may be cancelled.

For more information or directions to the recycling locations, please call the Union County Recycling Hotline, (908) 654-9889, or visit us online at ucnj.org/recycling/scrap-metal/

 Photo credit (cropped): Public domain image by Mark Buckawicki via Wikimedia Commons.

Union County Freeholders Alexander Mirabella, Vernell Wright, Sergio Granados, Christopher Hudak and Bette Jane Kowalski read to children at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Springfield on March 2 during the Union County Education Association’s annual Read Across America event. Read Across America is a reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading in honor of the birthday of children’s author Dr. Seuss. (Photos by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Freeeholder Wright

Freeholder Mirabella

Freeholder Hudak

Freeholder Granados

Freeholder Kowalski

ROSELLE, NJ-The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation will host a special skating event this coming Saturday, March 7, at the Warinanco Park Skating Center in Roselle, New Jersey.

“Lace Up Your Skates” will provide an opportunity for people with disabilities and their friends and families to enjoy time together on the ice. The program will run from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. An $8.00 registration fee will be charged for each participant. The fee includes skate rental. There will be Skate Guards on duty throughout the event. Skate Walkers and Sleds.

“The ice skating program at the Warinanco Skating Center is one of many activities offered by Union County for people living with disabilities,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “Besides being a great source of exercise, ice skating at Warinanco is a lot of fun for people of all ages.”

For more information on “Lace Up Your Skates”, or for more information about recreation programs for people with disabilities, please contact Manuel Ramirez at 908-527-4781 or email: mramirez@ucnj.org.

The Warinanco Ice Skating Center is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholder and is located near the Thompson Avenue entrance to Warinanco Park in Roselle. For more information about activities at the Ice Skating Center, call 908-298-7850 for a recorded seasonal message. For other information, contact the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation at 908-527-4900 or visit the website: www.ucnj.org.