Author: Web Site Administrator

Union County Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh, Vice Chairman Bruce H. Bergen and Freeholders Christopher Hudak, Linda Carter and Vernell Wright joined Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan marching in the annual Central Jersey Fourth of July Parade in Plainfield. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Mosquito Control will be spraying for adult mosquitoes tonight between 7:30pm and 11:30pm. The spraying will be predicated on the weather conditions; rain and high winds will cancel the operation. The areas to be sprayed are as follows:

• Berkeley Heights– Bristol Ct. and the B.H. D.P.W. yard, Bolton Blvd.
• Clark– Conger Way, Colonial Rd., Francis Dr., Back lot of St. Agnes church area
• Cranford-Dartmouth Rd. , Park St., Maryland & Fairfield Ave.
• Elizabeth– Clarkson Ave., Peterstown area, Trumble St.
• Fanwood– Fanwood Place
• Hillside– Harvard ave., Cornell Ave., Aldine St., Westminster area
• Kenilworth– Dorsett Dr., Water Company Rd.
• Linden– Tremeley Pt. area, Bradford Ave., Lexington Ave., Marion Ave., Miner Terrace
• Mountainside– Watchung Reservation, Fitness Trail off Mountain Ave.
• New Providence– Gails Dr. ( Manor Care), Grove St.
• Plainfield– First St., Abbond Ct., Reeves Terrace, Wiley Ave., Cushing Rd., Knollwood Ave., Kenyon Rd., Woodland Ave., Stelle Ave., Madison Pl.
• Rahway– Leesville Ave., Main St., Central Ave., New Church St., Church St., River Rd., Elizabeth Ave., Scott Ave., Whittier St., Donald Ave.
• Roselle– Chestnut St., Columbus Ave. (Athletic Field), Westbrook Woods Condos, Roselle golf course area (Raritan Rd.)
• Scotch Plains– Algonquin Dr. area, Frank St., Tempe Ct., Pheasant La., area behind R.W.J. on Lambertsmill Rd.,
• Springfield– Layng Terrace, Diven St.
• Summit– Kent Pl. Blvd, Stockton Rd. area, Ascot Way area
• Union– Gifford Ct., Brighton St. Akzo Nobel Morris Ave., Fairway Dr., Caldwell Ave., Vauxhall Rd. 2000 Block area, 1075 Dawes Ave.
• Westfield – Livingston St., Windsor Ave., Marcellus Ave., Norwood Dr.
• Winfield– Union County Parkway
• Union/Kenilworth – Galloping Hill Golf Course
• Municipal Parks– Linden Memorial Pk., Roselle Sylvester Pk., Westfield Mindowskin Pk and Tamaques Pk., Union Biertempful and Rabkin Pk.,
• County Parks– Clark Oakridge Pk., Elizabeth Mantano Pk., Cranford Nomahegan Pk. Lenape Pk., Mountainside Echo Lake Pk., Plainfield Joe Black Pk. Cedar Brook Pk.,  Mountainside Watchung Reservation and Loop Area, Rahway Rahway Park, Roselle Warinanco Pk., Hillside Conant Pk.,   

(From left) Union County Freeholder Vice Chairman Bruce H. Bergen visits with Jewish Family Services Executive Director Tom Beck and Case Worker Elie Bodner at the nonprofit’s community garden outside their office in Elizabeth. They are joined by James Nichnadowicz of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, which is funded through Union County, that helps maintain the community garden. Last year the garden produced 1,200 pounds of food. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce a call for visual artists to participate in the County’s first Art Outside The Box public art project.

Art Outside The Box is a new countywide creative placemaking project created to support Union County visual artists by offering a nontraditional exhibition opportunity that broadens and diversifies public exposure to art murals.

“Art Outside The Box is an innovative public art project that seeks to engage residents and visitors by integrating visual art with public spaces in our communities,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “The Freeholder Board is proud to provide opportunities that celebrate creativity, enhance community identity, and encourage cultural tourism.”

This call for entries is open to all 2D visual artists (painters, photographers, printmakers, graphic and computer/digital artists) residing in or working in Union County. Artists are invited to submit up to four different designs for project consideration. The deadline for entry is August 1, 2015.

The theme for this submission of Art Outside The Box entries is diversity. Artists should submit work that is uplifting, colorful, and appropriate for people of all ages.  There is no fee required to participate.

Offered as part of Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh’s Building A Community of the Arts initiative, a total of nine original artworks will be selected to cover traffic control boxes in Elizabeth, Linden, and Rahway, NJ. Each artwork will be reproduced on a special vinyl adhesive film and professionally applied to the exterior of the pre-selected traffic control boxes. 

Funded by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Art Outside The Box project will provide a $200 honorarium for each artist whose work is selected.  Details about the project, including entry form, traffic control box locations, reference samples, and artist agreement are available online at www.ucnj.org/artoutsidethebox.

Deadline for entry is August 1, 2015.

Entries will be juried and selected for the program based on artistic excellence, technical merit, the ability to complement the setting and how well it translates into large-scale viewing.

For further details about how to participate, please call the Union County Department of Cultural Heritage at (908) 558-2550 or visit our website at:  ucnj.org/artoutsidethebox.

Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan (R) thanked VFW Post 2433 Commander Leo Graf (3^rd R) and past Commander and Quartermaster Bob Johnsen (2^nd R) as they presented the Sheriff’s Office K9 Search and Rescue Unit with 5 K9 ballistic vests Post 2433 donated.  The officers from the K9 unit are (from left) Officer Ryan Wilson, Detective Anthony Gialanella, Officer Timothy O’Grady, Officer Bryan Frew and Sgt. Brian Howarth. K9 Ruger is wearing one of the donated vests. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholder Vernell Wright (3^rd from left) congratulates incoming UNICO National President Dr. Ann Walko (second from left). They are joined by Anthony Bengivenga (first, left), President of the Westfield Chapter of UNICO, and (fourth , left), Joe Almeida, President of the Union Chapter of UNICO.

Walko, a professor at Kean University, is also a resident of Scotch Plains. She begins her tenure as President in July. UNICO National is the nation’s largest Italian-American non-profit service organization whose chapters engage in philanthropic, cultural, educational and anti-bias activities.  The organization has 140 chapters nationwide.

Photo by Lamar Mackson, Public Information Division

Union County Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski (R) joined employees from McKinsey & Company working on an Adopt a Park Project in the Watchung Reservation. The employees volunteer their time for the cleanup and the company provided equipment, materials and tools to help with the improvement project. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – The popular Wednesday Matinee Series at Trailside Nature & Science Center returns on July 1, offering family entertainment beginning at 1:30 p.m.  All shows, which run approximately 45 minutes, are recommended for children ages 4 years of age and up. Admission is $5.00 per person and tickets go on sale at 1:00 p.m. the day of the show.

“The Summer Wednesday Matinee Series at Trailside presents imaginative, interactive and educational shows which teach and entertain the whole family,” said Union County Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh.

• On July 1, join the fabulous Mr. Fish as we present ”Fantastic Forces,” a fast paced, funny show with interactive audience participation. Gravity, sound waves, air pressure and other forces are engagingly illustrated in this program sponsored by the Trailside Museum Association.
• On July 8, “Mammal Mania” will feature an educational and fun program featuring live animals. Join Wallaby Tales Traveling Zoo for an engaging and humorous show.
• On July 15 you won’t want to miss “Rizzo’s Reptiles.” This program mixes nature, environment and conservation. The program features live snakes, turtles and an alligator.
• On July 22, Mr. Fish returns in ”Phenomenal Physics,” featuring astounding tricks with scientific explanations.
• On July 29, there’s pure laser fun set to rock and pop music in a show entitled ”Lasermania.”
• August 5, “Bubble Trouble” mixes comedy and music with featured entertainer Jeff Boyer who juggles, sculpts and builds with bubbles, some which are fog-filled.

The Wednesday Matinee Series concludes on August 12 with “Abracadabra, It’s Joe Fisher.” This show is a blend of magic, audience participation, comedy and excitement.

For additional information about the Wednesday Matinee Series or other upcoming programs and special events, please call 908-789-3670 or visit us at www.ucnj.org/trailside. Trailside Nature & Science Center is located at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside and is a facility of the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation.

Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan swears in Dennis Burke as he is promoted to the rank of Captain during a ceremony at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth. Holding the Bible is Captain Burke’s wife Meredith. Captain Burke, a 20-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, will continue his assignment as the Commander of the Fugitive, Family Violence and Street Crime Units. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

RAHWAY, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders announces that its next mobile paper-shredding program for confidential personal documents will be available on Thursday, July 9, at Rahway River Park in Rahway.

“Union County’s mobile document-shredding service helps residents fight identity theft and eliminate clutter in their homes,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “It is a cost-effective way to assist our recycling efforts and it ties in with Union County’s other Go Green Initiatives.”

The July 9^th shredding event will take place at Rahway River Park in Rahway, off St. Georges Avenue. NEXCUT Shredding of Elizabeth will be shredding documents at the site from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. The shredding event will end before 1 p.m. if the shredding truck reaches capacity.

All Union County residents are eligible to use the paper-shredding service. In an effort to accommodate everyone, there is a limit of four, 10-pound bags or boxes per person. Documents should not be bound. Please remove plastic binders and paperclips. Paper that is wet/damp will not be accepted. Residents should continue to recycle non-confidential papers and magazines with their municipal recycling program.\

Documents are put into 96-gallon containers provided by the shredding company. The items are dumped onto a conveyor belt and shredded on site. Participants are welcome to view the shredding process via a closed-circuit television. Shredded documents are then recycled, shipped to paper mills and used as pulp. The next shredding event will take place Saturday, August 8, on the campus of Kean University in Union.

The mobile shredding program is paid for through New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Recycling Enhancement Act Grant Funds. For more information about future events or directions please call the Union County Recycling Hotline at 908-654-9889 or visit us online at www.ucnj.org/recycle .