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Union County Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski and Freeholders Rebecca Williams and Andrea Staten joined Union County Department of Human Services Director Debbie-Ann Anderson in congratulating Jaimie DeDea of Westfield who was named the “Union County Municipal Alliance Volunteer of the Year” at the Local Advisory Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (LACADA) annual volunteer recognition dinner in Union.

For more information about Union County’s substance abuse services, call the Union County Department of Human Services, Division of Individual and Family Support Services, 908-527-4844.  The link to the Alliance webpage is https://ucnj.org/departments/human-services/alliance-to-prevent-alcoholism-and-drug-abuse/.

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)  

Union County Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski and Freeholders Rebecca Williams and Andrea Staten joined Union County Department of Human Services Director Debbie-Ann Anderson in congratulating the Local Advisory Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (LACADA) 2019 Union County Municipal Alliance Volunteers of the Year at the LACADA annual volunteer recognition dinner in Union.

This year the Freeholders, through the County’s Department of Human Services, Division of Individual and Family Support Services, are proud to pay special tribute to the following 10 volunteers:

• Jaimie Wronski of Clark;
• Detective Nadia Jones of Cranford;
• Virginia Marinelli of Garwood;
• Officers Elliot Bernard and Mike Rusin of Fanwood;
• Lorraine Messiah of Hillside;
• Jamie Lugo of Kenilworth;
• Thomas A. Solsky of Linden;
• Tara Smith of New Providence;
• Ashley Davis of Plainfield;
• Malika DeJesus Quevedo of Roselle, and
• Jaimie DeDea of Westfield, the “Union County Municipal Alliance Volunteer of the Year.”

For more information about Union County’s substance abuse services, call the Union County Department of Human Services, Division of Individual and Family Support Services, 908-527-4844.  The link to the Alliance webpage is https://ucnj.org/departments/human-services/alliance-to-prevent-alcoholism-and-drug-abuse/.

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)  

Ribbon cutting to be held on Saturday, May 18th, 11 a.m.

Hillside, NJ—The Union County Freeholder Board will cut the ribbon on a new, expanded playground at Conant Park in Hillside on Saturday, May 18th at 11 a.m.

“Every child should be able to enjoy a playground in or near their neighborhood, and participate in enriching experiences with friends, family and neighbors from all walks of life,” said Freeholder Chairman Bette Jane Kowalski. “The Freeholder Board continues to make investments in all areas of our parks system—including Conant Park–that are improving our County’s quality of life and promoting healthy, outdoor activities for our families.”

Freeholder Angela Garretson, former Mayor and resident of Hillside, said:

“Conant Park is one of the true gems of the County Parks system, and we are pleased to cut the ribbon on this playground that will serve generations of our children. The Freeholder Board remains committed to providing increased recreational opportunities for all, and I am proud to make this vision a reality in my hometown.”

The playground which replaces an older antiquated one, offers a fully-accessible, boundless play space for children of all abilities, and ages. The surface is soft and rubber bonded.

There are approximately seven slides, ADA ramps and decks featuring spiral stairs, therapeutic rings, chamber archways, suspension bridges, Zero G accessible swings (2-5 year olds, and 5-12 year olds), and belt swings, plastic bongo drums, climbing stations and ropes.

The Marturano Recreation Company of Spring Lake built the playground, which was installed by Whirl Construction of Port Monmouth.

This playground was destroyed last year almost immediately after its construction, during a late winter storm, and had to replaced, following payments by insurance.

Union County Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski, Vice Chairman Alexander Mirabella and Freeholder Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded present resolutions to Tami Eagle-Bowling and Lauren O’Brien, both of Scotch Plains, recognizing them for founding METAvivors of NJ as an active response for stage 4 metastatic breast cancer patients. They were joined by volunteer Kathleen Murray of Cranford.

May 2019 is National Cancer Research Month and May 12-19 is National Women’s Health Week. Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in the United States, and second leading cause of death. 

They founded the METAvivors of NJ Facebook group in April 2019 to centralize metastatic breast cancer information, action and advocacy relevant to New Jersey communities.

National METAvivor organization educates the public about metastatic breast cancer and lack of funding for stage 4 treatment. They aim to dramatically increase that current percentage of research dollars from under 5 percent to 30 percent.  The national campaign for this initiative on social media falls under hashtag #Don’tIgnoreStageIV.”

The advocacy group for metastatic breast cancer specific to NJ communities was launched right on time for National Cancer Research Month. For more information visit the METAvivors Of NJ Facebook page.

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski and Freeholders Rebecca Williams and Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded present a resolution to Dianne Spinelli congratulating her on being named the 2019 Linden Outstanding Senior Citizen of the Year during a ceremony at the John T. Gregorio Center in Linden. They were joined by Union County Surrogate James LaCorte and Assemblyman James Kennedy. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

The Union County Freeholder Board proudly invites families and residents to the grand opening of the Wheeler Park Spray Park—the largest of its kind in the County system—in Linden on Saturday, May 25^th.

Doors are open from 11 a.m-7 p.m., and admission is free to the state-of-the art facility. The Freeholders will hold a ribbon cutting marking the opening of the Spray Park at 1 p.m. All residents are invited to attend. In the event of a postponement due to weather, the ribbon cutting will be held the next day, Sunday, May 26^th, at 1 p.m.

Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski stated:

“With the opening of the spray park, the Freeholder Board has completed yet another step in a process that is not only renovating our parks system, but also providing more recreational opportunities for our residents,” Kowalski said. “The Wheeler Park Spray Park is an impressive facility that generations of our residents will enjoy.”

Freeholder Christopher Hudak, a resident of  Linden who championed the project, said:

“We have built what will become a countywide attraction for our families to enjoy.  This Freeholder Board has continued to make upgrades to Wheeler Park, transforming it into one of the County’s best recreational facilities. We are looking forward to marking a great day for Linden and the County of Union as a whole.”

The spray park replaces the former pool, which had been built in 1931 and witnessed a physical decline over the past two decades.

The spray park, which is the largest of eight spray facilities the County maintains in its parks system,  contains 33 above ground attractions, including water cannons, a full size dragon, slides, fake palm trees, dump buckets, a psychedelic spray bus and a multi-function pirate ship and surf shack.

The spray park encompasses 11,000 square feet of the total 49,000 square foot area, and also contains picnic tables, ample space for lounging, gazebos for shade, artificial turf areas, and plenty of free-play space.

A new 24,000 square foot building, which replaces the old Wheeler Pool building, contains lockers, bathrooms, changing space, vending machines and mechanical and electrical facilities.

An entrance and ticketing building near the parking lot will house nurse and lifeguard quarters. The Spray Park was designed by USA Architects, and constructed by Billy Contracting and Restoration Inc. of Pine Brook, NJ.

Wheeler Park is located at Route 1 and 9 between South Wood Avenue and South Stiles Street. Parking for the spray park is off W. Stimpson Avenue. Hours for the spray park are:  Monday-Friday: 12-6 p.m., Saturday, Sunday, holidays 11a.m.-7 p.m.

As Freeholder Hudak noted, the spray park announcement is among the latest in a series of high-profile improvements at the park in recent years, including the opening of a new skate park, new softball and soccer turf fields with lights, and a new playground.  The park was also enabled for Wi-Fi in 2014.

Wheeler Park was developed in 1925 by the Union County Park Commission, and was designed by the Olmsted Brothers, the noted engineering firm that designed a series of historic landmark parks in urban areas. Their list of projects includes Central Park in New York City and ten others in the Union County parks system.

The park is named after John Russell Wheeler, the first Linden man killed in action during World War I.

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is proud to host GLAAD Media Institute’s ‘Engagement 101’ accelerating acceptance training course free for anyone who wants to build the core skills and communication techniques that influence positive cultural change toward acceptance and inclusion.

Presented in collaboration with Union County’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, GLAAD Media Institute will bring their popular ‘Engagement 101 Telling Your Story: Messaging and Media Tools For Today’s Activists’ course to the Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth on Friday, May 24 from 9:30AM until 3:30PM. Registration is free and required online at ucnj.org/lgbtq.

“The Freeholder Board is honored to partner with GLAAD to empower equality advocates in our community to raise their voices and take the case for inclusion and acceptance to the Union County community, and beyond,” said Freeholder Chairman Bette Jane Kowalski.

Using the best practices, tools, and communications techniques they’ve perfected over the past 30 years, the GLAAD Media Institute turns education into armor for today’s culture war—transforming individuals into compelling storytellers, media-savvy navigators, and mighty ambassadors whose voices break through the noise and incite real change.

Join us on Friday, May 24 for Engagement 101. In this free course, participants will learn how to get a message of inclusion and acceptance across effectively. Equipped with GLAAD’s Accelerating Acceptance data, the GLAAD Media Institute will work with you to reach and teach the movable middle about the LGBTQ community through a personal lens, yours. Topics include LGBTQ acceptance, understanding media mentality, speaking to your audience, messaging and framing the issue, social media basics, and interview techniques.

“One of the most effective way to awareness, understanding and acceptance is by sharing personal stories and experiences,” said Freeholder Rebecca Williams, liaison to the Union County LGBTQ Ad Hoc Committee. “The GLAAD Engagement 101 course is an important opportunity for LGBTQ individuals and allies to increase the impact of their voice and influence change.”

Union County’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, under the Department of Economic Development, was established by the Freeholder Board in 2018 and is the first and only county government office of its kind in the State of New Jersey.

The Office of LGBTQ Affairs provides a platform for leadership and collaboration to support equality, and serves as a catalyst for advocacy, awareness and action on current and emerging issues that impact the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals.

For more information about the Office of LGBTQ Affairs, contact Danni Newbury, Coordinator, at 908-527-4742 or dnewbury@ucnj.org or visit ucnj.org/LGBTQ.