County of Union, New JerseyUnion County Freeholder Angela Garretson, Freeholder Sergio Granados, Union County Sheriff Peter Corvelli, Union County Manager Ed Oatman, Deputy County Manager Amy Wagner and county employees joined Rabbi Mordechai Kanelsky and representatives from Bris Avrohom of Hillside to light the menorahs in Phil Rizzuto Park, the Union County Courthouse and the County Administration Building in Elizabeth in celebration of Chanukah. (Photos by Jim Lowney/County of Union)
The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders today hosted the 7th annual UCSTEP Summit at Kean University in Union. The Union County Student Training and Enrichment Program (UCSTEP) is a day-long summit that invites high school sophomores and juniors from throughout Union County to participate in hands-on activities focused on leadership, personal growth, and civic engagement.
Union County Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski joined Union County Department of Corrections Director Ronald L. Charles and Assistant Director Robert Cesaro in congratulating the officers and civilian employees of the Union County Department of Corrections at the department’s 2019 Awards & Promotions Ceremony at the UCPAC in Rahway. (Photos by Jim Lowney/County of Union)
Union County Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski and Vice Chairman Alexander Mirabella present a resolution to Eleanor McGovern commending her for her 35 years of service to the residents of Fanwood upon her retirement as the borough’s Business Administrator. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)
Union County residents can make a New Year’s resolution that will have a lasting impact by joining the Rutgers Environmental Stewards of Union County. The all-volunteer Environmental Stewards program helps members of the public learn how to take specific steps leading to improvements in the environmental health of their communities.
“The Environmental Stewards program equips residents who have a passion and desire to improve the quality of the environment locally, with the knowledge and tools to be effective,” said Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski.
The Environmental Stewards program is designed to help non-scientists learn more about the science behind the environmental issues impacting their communities.
The Environmental Stewards hold weekly classroom training sessions on Thursdays from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. beginning January 30th through early June. Classes are held at the Extension offices in the Union County complex, located at 300 North Avenue East in Westfield. Registration for the program ends on January 30th.
The training sessions include classes on habitat conservation, pollinator preservation, climate change and its impacts on the Union County region, protection of the Rahway River watershed, and much more. Field trips are part of the interactive experience.
Participants also work on environmental internship projects of their choice.
Previous Environmental Stewards have applied their knowledge in Union County with projects such assisting in the effort to combat the destructive Ash borer beetle. The Stewards identified hundreds of Ash trees in County parks, collecting data that will help guide the effort.
Stewards have also created programs in multiple municipalities throughout the County. A program was developed by a steward through the New Providence Recreation Department to help children spend more time in the outdoors and learn how to care for their environment.
The Rutgers Environmental Stewards program is run by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County, part of the national Extension system, established more than 100 years ago under the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In New Jersey, Rutgers University runs Extension programs in each county through the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.
The Freeholder Board supports the Union County Extension with administrative assistance and office space in Westfield, land for the Demonstration Garden in the Watchung Reservation in Mountainside, and funding for special projects.
For more information about the Rutgers Environmental Stewards program, visit envirostewards.rutgers.edu or contact Michele Bakacs, County Agent and Associate Professor for the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County at bakacs@njaes.rutgers.edu or 732-398-5274.
Quick links to all Union County environmental programs and activities are available at The Green Connection, ucnj.org/green-connect.
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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.
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Union County Freeholder Sergio Granados joined Union County Human Services Director Debbie-Ann Anderson, Division of Individual and Family Support Services Director Christina Topolosky and Nicole DeAugustine, Helen Alvarado, Leighton Heisey and Manuel Ramirez of the Union County Office for Persons with Disabilities & Special Needs in presenting Newark Yoga Movement CEO Debby Kaminsky with a donation of yoga mats, blocks, straps, bolsters and yoga blankets from the County of Union. Newark Yoga Movement brings yoga, breathing, and centering skills to children, teens and adults throughout the State of New Jersey, including Union County. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)
In a briefing conducted for the Union County Department of Corrections on Thursday, November 14, the American Correctional Association announced that its recent audit of the Department has concluded, resulting in “exceptional” scores of 100% for mandatory standards and 99.3% compliance in non-mandatory standards.
The briefing is a step toward official accreditation by the American Correctional Association.
“ACA accreditation is only awarded to the ‘best of the best’ in the corrections field, so last Thursday’s briefing represented a significant milestone,” said Freeholder Angel Estrada, who attended the briefing. “On behalf of the Freeholder Board, I would like to thank Union County Department of Corrections Director Ron Charles and his staff and officers, for their professionalism and attention to detail.”
The American Correctional Association is the body tasked with developing nationwide standards for policies and procedures that safeguard life, health and safety of corrections personnel and inmates.
ACA accreditation covers all areas of a facility, including safety, security, order, inmate care, programs, justice, and administration.
During the accreditation process, ACA staff works directly with a facility or agency management to provide necessary documentation, assign and train auditors, and discuss with the specific requirements of each standard.
The accreditation process begins with an initial contact and continues through assessment, contracting, preparation, and the accreditation audit. The audit is then followed by a final accreditation decision.
The final accreditation decision for the Union County Department of Corrections is expected in January.
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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.
Connect with Union County on social media.
Union County Freeholder Sergio Granados joined Union County Office of Community Engagement & Diversity Coordinator Nathalie Hernandez and members of the Union County Division of Social Services at the Operation Warm Heart Distribution Day in Elizabeth. The division of Social Services and the Office of Community Engagement & Diversity hosted the donation drive collecting winter accessories for the homeless community.(Photos by Jim Lowney/County of Union)
The annual Holiday Sound and Light Show hosted by The Model Railroad Club is back for another season at the A. Paul Mallery Model Railroad Center in Union Township. The centerpiece of the festivities is the club’s sprawling, meticulously detailed HO scale layout.
“The Holiday Sound and Light Show is a favorite activity for many people in and around Union County,” said Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski. “The Model Railroad Club does a great job of showcasing this unique exhibit, and we Freeholders are proud to support them.”
The Model Railroad Center is located in a mixed-use area of Union County’s Lenape Park, off Route 22 East behind the Home Depot at 930 South Springfield Road.
“We work hard year round to provide a wonderful experience for our visitors,” said Railroad Club President Tim McCollum. “For this show our HO scale layout is transformed into a theatre where the trains are the star of the show.”
This year, the Holiday Sound and Light show opens at noon Friday, November 29. It will run every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until December 15.
Attendees can stay as long as they like to enjoy an elaborate N-scale layout and other displays at the Railroad Center.
A snack bar, train-themed gift shop, and toddler play-and-rest area are also available.
Tickets are available both online and in person. To purchase tickets online and see details about dates and times visit http://www.themodelrailroadclub.org/advance-show-tickets/. Children age two and under are free.
Tickets can also be purchased at the Railroad Center during regular Saturday public hours between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., and during the Sound and Light Show beginning at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, November 29.
The Model Railroad Club has been a part of Union County since its founding in 1949 by Master Model Railroader Paul Mallery. Today, it is one of the largest model railroad clubs in the region.
Members of the Railroad Club built the Railroad Center and run it through an arrangement with the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation. Work on the HO display began 40 years ago with the construction of the Railroad Center in Lenape Park. It has been enhanced and expanded since then. Work on a major expansion is under way, practically doubling the size of the original exhibit.
The Model Railroad Club is dedicated to preserving and sharing the art of model railroads while providing the public with a fascinating window on the history of the New Jersey-Pennsylvania rail corridor.
In addition to extra hours for the Holiday Sound and Light Show, the Railroad Center is open to the public every Saturday afternoon and for scheduled events throughout the year.
New members are always welcome to join the Model Railroad Club. Current members are on site during visiting hours and are happy to provide information about Club activities. Prospective members can also request information on joining by email, at info@tmrci.org.
All proceeds from the Holiday Sound and Light Show go towards funding the Railroad Club’s activities.
Directions: The A. Paul Mallery Center is conveniently situated in a mixed-use area of Union County’s Lenape Park, off Route 22 East in Union Township, behind the Home Depot at 930 South Springfield Road. Enter the Home Depot parking lot from Route 22 East or from South Springfield Road, and go to the far (west) end where the Home Depot garden center is located. Follow a small sign to find the service road behind the garden center. The Mallery Center is at the end of the road.
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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.
Connect with Union County on social media.
By Briana Vannozzi, Correspondent of NJ-TV | October 31, 2019, 5PM EST
The unprecedented increase in requests for vote-by-mail ballots could have a major influence on this year’s Assembly election outcome, especially in areas like Somerset and Union County – the battlegrounds for the state’s only competitive races.
According to the state Division of Elections, there were 596,993 vote-by-mail ballots requested as of Thursday. NJTV News has obtained data showing 275,429 of those went to Democrats, 149,540 to Republicans and another 169,247 for unaffiliated voters, not including third parties.
“We are up to 30,000 vote-by-mails that we sent out. Which is a very high number for us. I think in the highest presidential activity, we did 16,000,” said Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi.
Rajoppi’s office has been pilot-testing the state’s first “ballot-on-demand” technology to keep up with requests. The machine custom prints ballots on the spot for voters, using their name and district.
The uptick in interest likely stems from a bill that Gov. Murphy signed into law back in August, providing automatic vote-by-mail enrollment for anyone who used it during the last three election years, unless they opt out. If all goes smoothly, county clerks say it should cut down on the burden it created.
“I have 66 different ballot formats and pick from one of them to get your exact ballot, check it to make sure it’s the right ballot and then give it to you,” said Rajoppi. She went on to call the process “time consuming, labor intensive and very costly.”
“It was at least $3 million to implement the most recent three elections,” said executive director of the New Jersey Association of Counties, John Donnadio. “That doesn’t include the special elections, the fire district elections and municipal elections, and it doesn’t include all of the costs moving forward.”
After Murphy put the $2 million set aside by the legislature in his so-called lock box during the budget, Donnadio filed a case with the state Council on Local Mandates over the cost. While the case is still pending, the counties are feeling the pinch.
“The last time the legislature was top of the ticket, we had about 57,000 ballots cast county wide, and we’ve mailed out 29,000 vote-by-mail ballots,” said Somerset County Clerk Steve Peter.
The number of vote-by-mail ballots skyrocketed between the 2017 and 2018 general elections, when the law originally went to into effect, up from 182,744 to 400,136 residents.
“There’s no question that the automatic vote-by-mail ballot measure that we have now … is benefiting the Democrats and that’s because the Democrats saw this coming, worked with the governor to get this done and were preparing for it in a way that Republicans were not,” said Patrick Murray of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.
Democrats say the effort expands the process to more residents, despite their nearly one million voter edge over Republicans in the state. Even for a low turnout year, the vote-by-mail numbers are expected to reach new heights.
Residents planning to vote by mail have until 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4 to come in person, fill out an application and receive a ballot. The deadline to submit it in person is 8 p.m. on election night. Ballots postmarked by Election Day will still be accepted up to 48 hours after.