County of Union, New Jersey

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders announces a guided hike for adults, 18 and older, will take place on Saturday morning, October 25, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. at Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside. The fee for this program is $10 for Union County residents and $12 for out-of-county participants.

A nature hike in the wooded Watchung Reservation is a perfect way to start an autumnal morning.  The 2,060 acre Watchung Reservation has 13 miles of scenic trails and a surprising diversity of plants and animals. Join a Trailside naturalist who will point out the notable flora and fauna along the trails.

Pre-registration is required for this program but walk-ins are welcome as space permits. For more information about adult programs or upcoming events at Trailside, 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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Some fresh detective work on a fugitive cold case by the Union County Sheriff’s Fugitive Unit led to the arrest of a suspect wanted for more than 15 years, acting Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan announced today.

Esmelyn Bronfield, formerly of Plainfield, had been wanted since being charged in Union County with first degree aggravated sexual assault in May 1999. Based on new information from Sgt. Darryl Warner of the Sheriff’s Fugitive Unit he was arrested last week by local police in Manchester, New Hampshire, according to the acting Sheriff.

“Thanks to the outstanding detective work by Sgt. Darryl Warner and the Fugitive Unit a very dangerous individual has been captured,” acting Sheriff Cryan said. “This arrest once again proves that our office doesn’t stop looking for fugitives.”

While revisiting the case, Sgt. Warner conducted a wide online search for the whereabouts of Bronfield. Several new leads suggested the suspect was in Manchester, NH.

Working with the Union County Prosecutor’s Office and the Manchester Police Department, Sgt. Warner was able to confirm Bronfield’s identity and location.

Bronfield, 45, was taken into custody without incident by Manchester police in the early morning of Thursday, October 9.

He was booked into the local jail as a fugitive of justice and is awaiting extradition back to New Jersey.

“This arrest also highlights the importance of law enforcement agencies working together,” acting Sheriff Cryan said. “We truly appreciate the assistance of the Prosecutor’s Office and the Manchester Police Department in finding and arresting this suspect.”

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to offer another popular historical reenactment at Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside on Thursday, October 23 from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. for adults 18 and older. The reenactment of “Clara Barton, Civil War Nurse” is made possible by support from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.  There is no charge for admission, but donations are appreciated.  Pre-registration is recommended for this program, but walk-ins are welcome as space permits.

“This popular program has all of the ingredients to entertain and educate,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak. “You do not want to miss this presentation.”

Pat Jordan of the American Historical Theatre interprets the life of Clara Barton in an engaging and inspiring program.  Ms. Jordan introduces the woman who answered Abraham Lincoln’s call to support the Union efforts during the Civil War, revealing the events that shaped her life.  Clara Barton rejected her teaching career for a place on the battlefield, and ultimately organized the American Red Cross.  This presentation offers another window into the trauma of the Civil War, through the lens of the life of this remarkable woman.  

For additional information about this or other adult programs or upcoming events at Trailside, 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.

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders announces a guided hike for adults, 18 and older, will take place on Saturday morning, October 25, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. at Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside. The fee for this program is $10 for Union County residents and $12 for out-of-county participants. 

A nature hike in the wooded Watchung Reservation is a perfect way to start an autumnal morning.  The 2,060 acre Watchung Reservation has 13 miles of scenic trails and a surprising diversity of plants and animals. Join a Trailside naturalist who will point out the notable flora and fauna along the trails.    

Pre-registration is required for this program but walk-ins are welcome as space permits. For more information about adult programs or upcoming events at Trailside, 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.

NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ – The County of Union will sponsor a recycling event for electronic equipment on Saturday, October 25, so Union County residents can get rid of unwanted computers, televisions and other electronic equipment in an environmentally proper manner.

The special E-cycling event will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Alcatel-Lucent Technologies facility, 600 Mountain Avenue, New Providence 07974.

All residents of Union County are eligible to participate at no cost. There is a limit of six electronic items per car.

“Computer monitors, old televisions and other electronic devices are the source of a considerable amount of dangerous material, including lead, mercury, cadmium and PCBs – and it is unlawful to dispose of them with the regular garbage,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak, liaison to the Union County Solid Waste Advisory Board. “Up to 95 percent of most electronic appliances can be recycled. This is a responsible way to keep hazardous heavy metals out of our environment.”

Electronic equipment that will be accepted on Oct. 25 includes computer monitors, hard drives, modems, keyboards, CPU’s, mice, printers, scanners, speakers, televisions, tablets and e-readers, VCR’s, fax machines, telephones, circuit boards, CD’s, DVD’s and video cassettes.

All that residents need to do is drive to the site with their unwanted electronic equipment. Workers at the site will unload the vehicles.

Pre-registration is not required for this special Saturday collection.

Refrigerators, washers and dryers, microwaves, and air conditioners will not be accepted, but they are accepted at Union County’s Scrap Metal Recycling Program.

A complete list of the materials that will be accepted on Oct. 25 is available at the Union County Bureau of Recycling and Planning website: www.ucnj.org/recycle.

The electronics collection will be held rain or shine, for Union County residents only and not for businesses. Proof of Union County residency is required.

In addition to the special Oct. 25 recycling event sponsored by the County of Union, there are local businesses as well as 14 municipalities that provide E-cycling opportunities for residents. Visit the website www.ucnj.org/recycle or call your municipal recycling coordinator for more computer and electronics recycling options.

Goodwill and Dell have teamed up to recycle computers. Goodwill in Union County is located at 126 Route 22 West, Springfield 07081, next to Macy’s Furniture. Call Goodwill at 973-912-0156 for more details or visit their web site: www.reconnectpartnership.com.

Best Buy stores now offer electronics recycling, including TVs, computer monitors, DVD players and other consumer electronics. Visit their website (www.bestbuy.com/) for store locations, or call toll-free for information about electronics recycling: 1-888-237-8289.

Staples also offers a computer recycling program seven days a week. For more information, visit the Staples web site for store locations: www.staples.com.

An alternative drop-off program for recycling electronics equipment is available Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at Newtech Recycling, located at 600-A Apgar Drive, Somerset NJ 08873; 732-564-3110. Visit www.newtechrecycling.com .

For more information about recycling events, please call the Union County Recycling Hotline at 908- 654-9889.

(From left) Union County Freeholders Sergio Granados, Vernell Wright and Bruce Bergen present a resolution to United Way of Greater Union County President/CEO James W. Horne, Jr. and Fund Development Chair Joe Steiner proclaiming the month of October as United Way Month in the County of Union. The mission of the United Way of Greater Union County is to ensure the health and human service needs of the community are identified and addressed in ways that create a better quality of life for residents. For more information about the United Way of Greater Union County visit www.uwguc.org. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County’s annual public heritage event, “Four Centuries in a Weekend: A Journey through Union County’s History,” will take place Saturday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 19 from noon to 5 p.m. Sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, with the cooperation of staff and volunteers at 27 house museums and historic sites, the two-day free event opens the doors to more than 350 years of history throughout the county.

“Four Centuries in a Weekend began in 1994 when 16 historic sites and the County of Union organized a special weekend event to tell the story of how Elizabethtown of 1664 evolved into the 21 municipalities of today’s Union County. That coordinated weekend 20 years ago was the first event of its kind in New Jersey,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak. “This year, in conjunction with the 350^th anniversary of New Jersey and the settlement of Elizabethtown, special exhibitions and tours will again showcase Union County’s treasure trove of history.”

Among the historic sites that will offer free admission on Oct. 18-19, all listed on the National and New Jersey State Registers of Historic Places, with special programs or events highlighting their rich heritage are:

• Deserted Village of Feltville-Glenside Park in Berkeley Heights will host two speakers on Sunday: Star-Ledger columnist Mark DiIonno at 2 p.m. and historian Robert Sullivan at 4 p.m. discussing the American Revolution in New Jersey. Other weekend activities include free hay rides, apple cider pressing, children’s games, the ghost of David Felt and tours of the historic village.
• Deacon Andrew Hetfield House in Mountainside, home to the Hetfield family for 186 years, will feature Charlie Hummel displaying and discussing his collection of Thomas Edison artifacts and inventions.
• Oswald J. Nitschke House, operated by the Kenilworth Historical Society, will have a special exhibit and discussion about “The Early Development of New Orange,” the planned community that became the Borough of Kenilworth. 
• Liberty Hall Museum of Union will host a Revolutionary War encampment on the grounds of Liberty Hall, the home of William Livingston, New Jersey’s first elected governor and signer of the Constitution. At 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Premiere Stages will perform James Christy’s play, “At Liberty Hall.”
• Reeves-Reed Arboretum of Summit celebrates 40 years as a historic public garden and education resource on 13.5 acres of lawns, wooded trails and gardens. The Wisner House Gallery will feature historic maps, photos, landscape drawings from noted architects, and a video presentation of “The Clearing.”
• Crane-Phillips House Museum in Cranford, an American Civil War veteran’s cottage, will focus on agriculture in Union County: “Then and Now: 350 years of farming at Crane’s Ford.”
• Historic Cannon Ball House in Springfield, one of four buildings in Springfield to survive being burned by the retreating British Army in 1780, will be the scene of a re-enactment of the Battle of Springfield on Saturday at 10 a.m.
• Reeve History & Cultural Resource Center in Westfield celebrates the restoration of the 1870s Victorian Italianate home, and exhibits work by famed local artists John Brunner, Harry Devlin and Sigmund Ivanowski.

In Elizabeth, you can visit Boxwood Hall, the 1772 home of Elias Boudinot, President of the Continental Congress; tour the restored Revolutionary War burial grounds at the First Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth, the oldest English-speaking congregation in New Jersey; and witness a re-enactment of the Battle of Elizabethtown on Sunday at 11 a.m.

Then it’s on to Union and a visit to the Caldwell Parsonage at Connecticut Farms, and watch a re-enactment of the Battle of Connecticut Farms on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. A visit to nearby Hillside will bring you to the Woodruff House/Eaton Store, built in 1735, and the historic Evergreen Cemetery, a virtual museum of funerary art.

In Rahway you’ll be welcome at the Merchants and Drovers Tavern, a restored early 19^th century hotel, and you can tour the Union County Performing Arts Center, a beautifully restored classic Vaudeville theatre. When you stop at the Dr. William Robinson Plantation in Clark, you’ll discover a post-medieval English-style house where Dr. Robinson practiced healing with plants and herbs; on Sunday, celebrate Clark’s 150^th birthday and hear “Betsy Ross” share the history of the American flag.

At the Fanwood Train Station Museum you’ll see the oldest Victorian Gothic railroad station in the county and learn about Fanwood’s ties to the Central Railroad of New Jersey. Stop at the Fanwood Museum for refreshments and a free shuttle bus ride to local historic homes, the Deserted Village, and the Battle of the Short Hills history hike. Other communities along NJ Transit’s Raritan Valley Line, including Plainfield, Westfield, Roselle, and Union, also will provide shuttle vans to local historic homes.

At the Abraham Clark House in Roselle, home to a signer of the Declaration of Independence, you’ll learn about local history from uniformed members of the Sons of the American Revolution. In the Roselle Park Museum, housed in the Charles E. Stone Store, you’ll be standing in the first electrically-lighted store in the world; be sure to see the museum’s special World War I hundredth anniversary exhibit.

Authentic 18^th century farmhouses also are open for touring: the Miller-Cory House in Westfield; the Salt Box Museum in New Providence; the Osborn Cannonball House in Scotch Plains, adjacent to the town green and across from the Stage House Inn; and the Nathaniel Drake House in Plainfield, with its exhibit, “John Philip Sousa’s Historic Concert in Plainfield, 1892,” and Sousa music on Saturday performed by the Plainfield Academy for the Arts Wind Ensemble.

Venturing into the Watchung Mountains, you’ll visit the Littell-Lord Farmstead in Berkeley Heights, a reminder of the County’s agricultural past; and explore Summit, with its Twin Maples, a stately neoclassical mansion, and the Carter House, the city’s oldest house, which dates back to the 1740’s. Riders on NJ Transit’s Gladstone Branch can catch a local shuttle bus in Berkeley Heights to visit the Littell-Lord Farmstead and the Deserted Village.

Children can earn a Time Traveler’s Certificate and a Four Centuries Patch by visiting and obtaining a Time Traveler Passport at any of the sites, having it stamped and returning the completed form to the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs.

A free copy of the “Four Centuries in a Weekend” tour booklet and map may be downloaded atwww.ucnj.org/cultural. For further information, telephone 908-558-2550 weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., NJ Relay Users dial 711, visit www.ucnj.org, or e-mail: culturalinfo@ucnj.org.

CRANFORD – Union County officials today held a ground-breaking ceremony for the new Student Services Center building here on the campus of Union County College.

The two-story, 40,000-square-foot facility, an extensive renovation of the historic Nomahegan building, will become the hub of the College’s Cranford campus where a wide range of student services will be housed.

The $14 million project was financed by the Union County Improvement Authority (UCIA).  The anticipated completion date is August 2015.

“We are pleased to be opening a new state-of-the-art facility that will educate a generation of our residents, raise their living standards and improve their quality of life,” Union County Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak said.

“The UCIA has worked closely with Union County College to help make this project a reality,” said Daniel P. Sullivan, Executive Director of the UCIA. “We’re very pleased to provide the financing and project management for this worthwhile project that will serve so many Union County residents.”

The new Student Services Building will provide students with a “One-Stop Enrollment Center” on the first floor that will include:

• Registration Services
• Bursar and Payment Services
• Financial Aid Services
• Disability Services
• Educational Opportunity Fund Services
• Counseling Services
• Meeting Rooms

The second floor will house an array of computer and multi-use classrooms, math faculty and departmental offices, and support facilities.

“By virtue of the commitment of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders to this College and to County residents, we are able to provide our students with a new building that will consolidate all of the College’s student services, including admissions and registration, financial aid, student accounts, testing and advertisement.  The second floor will feature faculty offices and classrooms that evince the first-class learning environment that our students expect and desire.  As the first new building on the Cranford Campus in more than 20 years, the Student Services Building will become the centerpiece for the College’s renewal and revitalization,” said Union County College President Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin.