Author: Web Site Administrator

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce that the Family PRIDE CommUNITY Picnic, celebrating marriage equality in the State of New Jersey, has been rescheduled for Saturday, September 16 at Rahway River Park in Rahway from 12 Noon until 5 P.M.

“Unpredicted inclement weather forced us to postpone the Family PRIDE CommUNITY Picnic, which was originally scheduled for last month,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “The Freeholder Board is pleased to announce that the event, in its entirety, has been rescheduled for September. This celebration of life, love and liberty is about offering LGBTQ and ally parents and children a space to connect, support and celebrate together.”

A celebration of all families, the free Family PRIDE CommUNITY Picnic will include music, arts and crafts (featuring a “LOVE Makes a Family” poster making station), inflatable bounce houses for all ages, face painting, music, and much more.

A Family Equality Rally will kick off at 1:00 P.M. with special guest speakers and performances. Parents and children are encouraged to show your family’s Pride with a sign or banner. Bring a rally sign or join us at the Rally Poster Making Station between noon and 1:00 p.m. to create one.

The day’s celebration will also include a live family concert starting at 2:30 P.M.

Family field day team games will kick off at 3:30 P.M. Families and individuals of all ages (adults, teens, and children are all welcome) interested in participating in the field day competition should register online at ucnj.org/Pride so that teams can be formed.

Families are invited to pack a picnic lunch and head out to the park with blankets and lawn chairs for an afternoon of fun. Food trucks will also be on site for those who wish to purchase lunch.

LGBTQ family and marriage equality advocacy and ally organizations will also set up tables, alongside the Freeholder Board information van, with general information and resource material.

“Pride events matter because inequality is not always obvious. Union County’s pride event demonstrates the support for diversity and full equality,” said Chairman Bergen. “Marriage equality rights are in part the result of years of Pride events. The Family PRIDE CommUNITY Picnic brings advocates, allies, and families of the LGBTQ community together to celebrate individuality and raise awareness for the need to meet the equality challenges of the LGBTQ community.”

In the event of inclement weather the Family PRIDE CommUNITY Picnic will be held at the Warinanco Sports Center, Warinanco Park in Elizabeth/Roselle.

For more information visit ucnj.org/Pride, or find the Union County Family PRIDE CommUNITY Picnic event page at Facebook.com/CountyOfUnion, or call the Union County Office of Parks and Recreation at 908-527-4900.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A local group of volunteers spent several hours on Sunday, July 23 at Milton Lake Park in Rahway removing recently sprayed graffiti on a stone wall along the lake. The effort, organized through a Facebook group page by Union County Adopt-a-Park adopters Marlene and Nate Hamm, highlights the significance community volunteers can make in Union County’s vast parks system.

Armed with an environmentally-friendly cleaner and a power washer, provided by Rahway Councilman Jeremy Mojica, the crew of volunteers successfully restored the stone wall.

“On behalf of the Freeholder Board, I extend sincere gratitude to the Hamm Family and the community of volunteers in Rahway who made the natural beauty of Union County’s Milton Lake Park a priority on their Sunday morning,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “The commitment of Adopt-a-Park volunteers helps to keep our parks beautiful, clean, and safe for everyone in the community to enjoy.”

The Union County Parks System includes 36 parks spanning 6,200 acres. It is a rich and diverse system of parks maintained with the help of hundreds of dedicated volunteers throughout the year.

Any individual or group is welcome to join Adopt-a-Park. For more information call the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation at 908-789-3683 or visit online at ucnj.org/parks.

 

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Department of Parks and Recreation announce that the next evening of “Family Fun & Flix,” the free summer entertainment and film series on Tuesday evenings, will team-up with National Night Out organizers on August 1 at Meisel Park, off Meisel Avenue in Springfield. The National Night Out event is presented with support from AAA Northeast, ShopRite of Clark and Target in Union.

National Night Out activities get underway at 6 p.m. and last until 8 p.m. A number of law enforcement agencies will be on hand, including the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, the Union County Sheriff’s Department, the Mountainside Police Department and the Springfield Police Department. The Union County Bureau of Recycling & Planning will also be on hand to provide important information.  The event will also feature roving entertainment provided by a local magician and a photo booth to capture the fun moments.

Following the National Night Out activities, those in attendance can enjoy the animated adventure comedy “Secret Life of Pets,” which tells the story of two squabbling pet dogs who end up in the outside world and find common ground against a gang of angry animals preparing an attack on humans. The film features the voices of Louis C.K., Erick Stonestreet and Kevin Hart.  Free popcorn will be given to all children in attendance and there will be inflatables for the kids to enjoy.

“National Night Out provides an opportunity for members of our law enforcement community to p        rovide important information to residents to assist them in keeping themselves and their family’s safe,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen.  “And when the sun goes down, relax in your chair or on your blanket and enjoy the movie.”

This summer’s Family Fun and Flix will conclude on Tuesday, August 8, returning to Warinanco Park in Elizabeth for the presentation of “Moana.”

Family Fun and Flix movies start at dusk, weather permitting. For more information, call the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation at 908-527-4900 or visit the Union County website: www.ucnj.org.  For program and rain information call 908-558-4079 after 3:30 p.m. the date of the show.

Union County’s summer tour performance of Shakespeare’s outrageously fun comedy The Taming of the Shrew, which was postponed last weekend due to predicted inclement weather, will take the stage at the Raymond Wood Bauer Promenade amphitheater in Linden this Sunday, July 30 at 1:00 p.m.

“The Freeholder Board is pleased to announce the rescheduled performance of one of Shakespeare’s greatest romantic comedies in Linden this weekend,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “This summer’s tour of Shakespeare’s classic romantic-comedy The Taming of the Shrew in our parks provides an opportunity for residents of all ages to experience the clever and compelling language of Shakespeare.”

Bring the entire family to enjoy The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s Next Stage Ensemble’s abridged performance of the zesty, romantic comedy of male chauvinism and women’s rights in the 16th century. Sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, this free performance is too fun to miss.

Petruchio, a poverty-stricken gentleman from Verona, journeys to Padua in search of a wealthy wife. There, he encounters the fiery Katharina, a self-willed shrew who engages Petruchio in a humorous battle of wit and insult with Kate as determined to maintain her independence as Petruchio is to “tame” her.

The final performance of this summer’s Shakespeare in the Park tour of The Taming of the Shew will be on Friday, August 4 at Echo Lake Park in Mountainside at 7 p.m. Admission is free to all of the performances.

The Next Stage Ensemble, the Shakespeare Theatre’s summer touring company of early career actors, is part of the Theatre’s Summer Professional Training Program which offers students working toward a career in the performing arts clear instruction, individual attention, and thoughtful and candid evaluation in a professional theatre environment. The Next Stage Ensemble works with The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s resident and guest directors to fully develop abridged productions of classic plays. Come out to Union County parks this summer to the see Next Stage Ensemble’s performance of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.

For more information or for a complete listing of summer events visit ucnj.org.

Individuals or Teams that may be interested please contact;

• Ray Brigantino @ 908-403-2016
• Rodney Godfrey @ 908-803-5440
• Jersey Lanes @ 908-486 6300

The Union County Freeholder Angel G. Estrada presents resolutions to Elizabeth Police Officers Eric Santiago Gora and Officer Luciano Nicolas Porto honoring them for their response to an emergency regarding a male that had been struck by a train in May.

The officers rushed to the scene and found a young boy going into shock with an amputated leg.  Officer Gora, a trained EMT and registered nurse, immediately began to administer life-saving first-aid. Officer Porto was assisting at the scene. After coordinating emergency responders, applying a tourniquet, wrapping and dressing the major injury and keeping the young boy calm, he was quickly airlifted to a hospital where he survived.

The Freeholder Board also congratulates Officer Gora on receiving the “Shield Award” for outstanding service to his community and service beyond the call of duty from the New Jersey Knights of Columbus in June.

Due to the bad weather forecast for this Sunday, the County of Union has postponed the Shakespeare in the Park presentation of the “Taming of the Shrew” scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Raymond Wood Bauer Promenade Amphitheater in Linden. The new date is Sunday, July 30th, 1 p.m, at the same location and venue.

Union County Freeholder Board approves plan to replace Netherwood Avenue bridge in Plainfield
1,400 cars and trucks daily cross 89-year-old bridge

Union County, NJ – The Union County Freeholder Board approved a $2.2 million dollar plan to replace the Netherwood Avenue Bridge which connects Plainfield and North Plainfield over the Green Brook. More than 1,400 cars and trucks cross the bridge, which was constructed in 1928, on a daily basis.

“This is an important roadway that feeds traffic off Mountain Avenue from Route 22 and leads into the Netherwood Train station,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce Bergen. “The bridge was declared structurally deficient, and the project will consist of demolition of the current structure and the construction of a new bridge.”

The County finished construction earlier this year on the Raymond Avenue Bridge in Plainfield at a similar cost. The bridge, which also crosses the Green Brook, connects Union County, Watchung and North Plainfield, and is considered a structural twin of the Netherwood Avenue Bridge.

Other bridge/culvert reconstruction projects scheduled to occur over the next few years for Plainfield include the Pemberton Avenue Bridge, the Stelle Avenue Bridge, and Watchung Avenue Culvert.

“Plainfield is a major regional transportation hub, and the Union County Freeholder Board has an ongoing commitment to maintain and improve its network of roads, bridges and culverts throughout the city,” said Freeholder Linda Carter, a resident of Plainfield.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation provided $1 million in funding, and the County of Union will provide approximately $1.2 million for the new Netherwood Avenue Bridge. The Freeholder Board on Thursday awarded the contract to Rencor Inc. of Somerville, NJ, and construction is anticipated to begin in September, and expected to finish by late summer next year.

There are 18 bridges/culverts over the Green Brook between the City of Plainfield and the Borough of North Plainfield, and the management and repair of which are shared by the counties of Somerset and Union. Somerset is responsible for the bridges to the west of Watchung Avenue, and Union is responsible for those to the east.

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The Union County Board of Chose Freeholders congratulates Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan and Sgt. Patrick Hora as they accept the Certificate of Re-Accreditation from Harry Delgado of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJACOP) during the Freeholders meeting in Elizabeth.

The re-accreditation signifies the Sheriff’s Office has successfully met a body of internationally recognized professional standards. 

Accredited status represents a significant professional achievement. The Sheriff’s Office has now achieved re-accreditation twice. Of the nearly 600 law enforcement agencies in New Jersey, less than one percent obtains re-accreditation for a second time.

Delgado of the NJACOP praised the Sheriff’s Office for its professionalism and the implementation of policies and procedures that are conceptually sound and operationally effective.

Union County Homeowners urged to be vigilant and take precaution

An elusive green beetle, approximately one half inch long, could  possibly devastate New Jersey’s entire ash tree population and the Union County Freeholder Board would like you to be aware of this menace and what you can do to fight back.

The beetle, known as the Emerald Ash Borer has already arrived in ten New Jersey counties, destroying a swath of ash trees, and while there have not been no reported infestations in Union County, experts are saying that the dangerous insect will arrive here, if it hasn’t already.  The State has installed

The adult insect lays its eggs under the bark of the ash tree. When the eggs hatch, the larvae tunnel under the bark, eating the cambium layer, and cutting off the supply of water and nutrients to its branches and leaves that the tree needs to survive.  By the time the larvae turn into adults and become visible as they emerge from under the bark, the damage is already done.  The tree will usually be dead within three years.

The infestations throughout the U.S. and Canada have killed tens of millions of ash trees since 2002—and tree experts and scientists have anticipated that 24 million Ash trees in New Jersey—or a figure that could be as high as 5 percent of the overall tree population—could be destroyed. 

“While it will be very difficult to stop the creature from making substantial damage to the state’s ash tree population, homeowners should be made aware about what their options are,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “Trees play a very important role in Union County’s ecology, our quality of life and the value of real estate.”

First, homeowners should determine whether there is an ash tree on their property. There are many resources online that can assist in this process, however, it may be best to consult a tree care professional to leave no doubt.

A certified tree expert can help residents evaluate, then treat or remove ash trees. Contact the New Jersey Board of Tree Experts, the licensing agency for tree experts and tree care operators, at 732-833-0325 or send them an email at njtreeexperts@gmail.com for a list of professionals serving your area.  To visit them online, please go to: www.njtreeexperts.org

After consulting with the tree care professional and identifying an ash tree, homeowners must decide whether to treat with an insecticide as a preventative measure, or to remove their ash trees. If left untreated an ash tree will likely be infected and killed by the Emerald Ash Borer. A dead tree will become brittle and dangerous if not removed.

If an ash tree is already infested or in poor health, it may be best to remove the tree before it poses a hazard to people and surrounding structures. But for those residents with high-value ash trees in good health, the trees can be treated before they become infested.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s website is an important  resource for homeowners and communities. http://www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/pi/prog/emeraldashborer.html

Additional info can be had at: www.emeraldashborer.nj.gov  www.emeraldashborer.info  Or www.forestry.nj.gov