County of Union, New Jersey

Union County, NJ — A volunteer group of students from Kean University removed 47 bags of trash from Mattano Park in Elizabeth in a single cleanup visit last month. Of the total, 35 were filled with bottles and cans to be recycled. The group has returned to the park three more times since then. The extra debris washed in during Megastorm Sandy when the Elizabeth River overflowed its banks. The group was organized through the Kean Office of Student Leadership and the Union County Adopt-A-Park Program. For information on participating in Adopt-A-Park contact Betty Ann Kelly, 908-789-3683 or bkelly@ucnj.org. (Photo: Betty Ann Kelly)

 

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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release.   Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

This year’s Christmas tree arrives at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth. The tree, donated by Rocco Rosania of Kenilworth, will be on display in the Courthouse Rotunda during the holiday season. The public is invited to view the tree on weekdays until it is removed just before New Year’s Day.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

 

For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release.   Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org

Union County Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella (L), Vice Chairman Linda Carter and Freeholder Christopher Hudak attended the Union County Tree and Menorah Lighting Celebration during the 29th annual Holiday Nature Craft Show at Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County, NJ – A team of assessors from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP) is scheduled to perform an on-site assessment of the Union County Police Department on Thursday, December 13, 2012. The process includes an examination of the Department’s policies, procedures, management, operations and support services, as well as public comments by phone or mail.

Accreditation from NJSACOP signifies that a police department has voluntarily achieved 112 goals recognized by expert law enforcement professionals.

The assessment team includes law enforcement practitioners who will review written materials, conduct interviews, and visit offices and other locations where compliance with the standards can be observed.

After assessment is complete, the team will report to the full Commission, which will then decide if the Police Department is granted accredited status.

As part of the on-site assessment, Police Department employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments by calling 908-368-7882 on Friday, December 14, 2012 between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

Telephone comments are limited to five minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with the NJSACOP standards.

Alternatively, written comments regarding the Police Department’s ability to comply with the standards for accreditation may be submitted to the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission, at One Greentree Centre, Suite 201 Marlton, NJ 08053.

A copy of the standards is available at the Union County Police Department located at 300 North Ave East, in Westfield.  For more information call Lt. Dean Falzarano at (908) 789-6832.

Accreditation is valid for a three-year period during which time the agency must submit annual reports attesting to their continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.

The New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police through its New Jersey Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission is the accreditation agency in the state of New Jersey. For more information regarding the Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission write the Commission at New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission at One Greentree Centre, Suite 201, Marlton, N.J. 08053

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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release.   Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Union County – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce that the County has been awarded nearly $1 million as part of a National Emergency Grant, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) and the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development, that will hire unemployed Union County residents to assist with Hurricane Sandy clean-up and recovery efforts.

“The Freeholder Board is happy to not only be able to provide an additional layer of aid to some of our hardest hit communities; but we are even more pleased that in the wake of Sandy’s devastating blow, we can find a way to progressively move forward by creating jobs for those members of our community that need them most,” said Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella.

The grant award, which is the equivalent of 58 positions, is part of a larger $15.6 million award that was given to the State by the USDOL to give temporary jobs to unemployed residents through local government agencies that need to restore public lands and infrastructure.

In addition to work directly related to post-Sandy clean up, these jobs may also include working on projects that provide food, clothing, shelter and other humanitarian assistance for disaster victims.

The duration of employment is limited to 6 months or 1,040 hours, and a maximum wage of $12,000 per worker, excluding fringe benefits, can be earned.

“The County Workforce Investment Board is working closely with municipalities and non-profit agencies in identifying how and where we can deploy workers,” said Mirabella. “We are hopeful that through these grant dollars we can put hundreds of residents to work.”

Applicants eligible for employment through National Emergency Grant funding are:

• Workers who have been temporarily or permanently dislocated as a result of the disaster;
• Eligible dislocated workers who are unemployed and not receiving unemployment compensation (UI) or other types of income support (such as WorkFirst NJ)
• Individuals who are long-term unemployed

Union County will be implementing the grant through the One-Stop Career Center, which will assist in determining individuals who are eligible, and deploying them to fill the specified temporary jobs.

For additional information, or to find out if you qualify for temporary employment under the requirements of the N.J. Department of Labor, contact the Elizabeth One-Stop Career Center at 908-558-8005, or the Plainfield One-Stop Career Center at 908-757-9090.

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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release. Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Every holiday season for 15 years, Union County Sheriff’s Officers have set up their “Tree of Hope” in the courthouse seeking donations of toys and clothing for needy children throughout the county. Each year the response has been overwhelming.

The “Tree of Hope” was first planted in 1997 when officers approached Sheriff Ralph Froehlich and related troubling stories of children who were going to experience a less than happy holiday season. The children the officers encountered were homeless or living in shelters, were victims of domestic violence or medically fragile.  Their parents or guardians did not have the financial ability to provide holiday gifts.

Every year since the Sheriff and the “Tree of Hope” committee have erected a tree in the Union County Courthouse featuring paper ornaments. Volunteers make the ornaments and write a particular gift on each one.

“These caring officers do a tremendous job in helping these children,” Sheriff Froehlich said. “Even during tough economic and personal times, it is important not to forget those kids who are less fortunate.

Monetary donations to help provide additional gifts are also being sought.

Contributions of money (tax-deductible), toys and clothing can be sent to: Union County Sheriff’s Officers Tree of Hope, Union County Courthouse, 2 Broad Street, Elizabeth, N.J., 07207. For more information, call the “Tree of Hope” hotline at 908-629-2158.

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A keen-eyed Union County Sheriff’s Officer’s observation while walking to his car after work resulted in the arrest of three Texas men wanted for assaulting a police officer a week earlier.

On November 20, an off-duty Elizabeth Police officer was violently attacked and disarmed during a dispute in Roselle. The suspects fled the scene.

Six days later, while walking down Rahway Avenue in Elizabeth after finishing his regular shift, Sheriff’s Officer George Gyure spotted a red pickup and trailer parked near three men working on a billboard.

The vehicle matched the description in the “be on the lookout” alert from the Roselle Police Department. A man on the billboard also fit the description of one of the suspects.

Officer Gyure called Captain Roxann Banek informing her of the situation. Sheriff’s Officers James Miller and Kevin Sargent responded as back up.

The Sheriff’s Officers detained the three men until officers from the Elizabeth and Roselle Police Departments arrived and confirmed that these were the suspects and vehicle they were looking for.

Robert Garcia, Joshua Curington and Ricardo Alcala Cervantes, all of Texas, were transported to Roselle Police Headquarters.

“This a good job by a very alert officer with great street experience,” said Union County Sheriff Ralph Froehlich.

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WESTFIELD, NJ – Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi announced that Vote-By-Mail ballots for the Westfield Board of Education’s upcoming Special Election will be available beginning on Monday, December 3, through the County Clerk’s Westfield office.

The Special Election in Westfield, scheduled for Tuesday, December 11, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., involves a $13.6 million school bond referendum. The deadline to apply for Vote-By-Mail in-person at the County Clerk’s Westfield office is Monday, December 10, before 3:00 p.m.

“Registered voters in Westfield may obtain a Vote-By-Mail ballot for the Special Election by visiting my website or my office in Westfield,” Ms. Rajoppi said. “The service at the Westfield office, with its convenient Saturday office hours and evening hours during the week, makes voting more accessible for voters unable to go to the polls in person on December 11.”

The opportunity to Vote-By-Mail in Westfield is another service available at the County Clerk’s Westfield office, along with passport application and renewal services, registration of Trade Names, and the application and swearing in of Notaries Public.

The Westfield Annex of the County Clerk is located at 300 North Avenue East, Westfield 07090. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays; 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; and 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

Vote-By-Mail is an easy, secure process that has replaced the Absentee Ballot. Voters do not need to give a reason why they wish to Vote-By-Mail. To obtain an application form, voters can download the form at the Union County Clerk’s website: www.ucnj.org/votebymail or they can contact the Union County Clerk at 908-527-4996. The Clerk’s website also includes a video that explains how to fill out the Vote-By-Mail application form.

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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release. Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/countyofunionnj .

 

Union County – In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders would like to notify County residents whose homes suffered any flooding or structural damage due to the super-storm that they may be eligible for a reduction to their property tax assessment.

“Hurricane Sandy dealt Union County a devastating blow,” said Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella. “We are diligently seeking new avenues of relief for our residents and this is one that we encourage them to take advantage of.”

To apply for the reduction, residents must download the Assessment Review form, at www.ucnj.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/tax-form.pdf. The form must be completed and submitted, with any supporting documentation concerning the property and the referenced damage, to the corresponding municipal tax assessor by Thursday, January 10, 2013.

Submission of the Assessment review form does not guarantee there will be a resulting change in the property tax assessment, as material depreciation is being evaluated on a case by case basis.

To qualify, the home must have suffered flooding or structural damage; damage to trees and landscaping do not qualify as property damage for the sake of this program.

Assessment reductions will take effect as of January, but will not be adjusted on your tax bill until the 3rdquarter of 2013.

For additional information please contact the Union County Board of Taxation at 908-527-4775, or contact your local tax assessor. For a listing of municipal tax assessors and their local contact information, visitwww.ucnj.org/taxation-phone-sheet/

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders announce a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center will open in Linden on Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Gregorio Center at 330 Helen Street. The center will subsequently remain open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.

The Disaster Recovery Center is to support residents of Union County who suffered damage from the Megastorm Sandy. Any survivor from the 21 counties in New Jersey can visit this DRC.

Disaster recovery specialists from various local, state and federal agencies will be at the center to assist individuals and answer questions regarding disaster assistance.

Union County Freeholder Christopher Hudak speaks with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Policy Analyst Naomi Johnson at a FEMA disaster recovery center in Springfield. The center was set up to assist residents who suffered property damage and loss due to Hurricane Sandy. Homeowners, renters and business owners can visit the center to register in person for assistance through FEMA and the federal Small Business Administration.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)