Author: Web Site Administrator

The U. S. Small Business Administration announced today that due to a steady decrease of activity, the Recovery Centers located in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties will cease operations on Feb.  11.  The Centers located in Atlantic, Monmouth and Ocean counties will remain open until further notice.  However, in observance of Presidents’ Day, the Centers located in Atlantic and Ocean counties will be closed on Friday, Feb. 12 and Monday, Feb. 15; the Monmouth County Center will be closed on Feb. 15 for the holiday. 

SBA’s Customer Service Representatives are available at the Centers to answer questions from businesses and residents affected by Superstorm Sandy about the disaster loan program and help survivors complete their applications. 

The following Union County location and hours of operation are as indicated below: 

Union County
Union County Administration Building
2nd Floor, Department of Human Services Suite
10 Elizabethtown Plaza
Elizabeth, NJ 07207
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday – Friday
Closing Thursday, Feb. 11

Anyone unable to visit a Center may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

Businesses and individuals may also obtain disaster loan information and application forms by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or by sending an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.  Loan applications can be downloaded from www.sba.gov/disaster.  Completed applications can be returned to a center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road,
Fort Worth, TX 76155.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is Dec. 1, 2016.  The deadline to return economic injury applications is Dec. 1, 2016.

Through the NYU Langone Medical Center, the Cohen Veterans Center is currently conducting a research study to determine how to better diagnose PTSD, TBI and depression in veterans and active service members.

They are looking for participants who:

• Served in Iraq or Afghanistan in Operation
• Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and/or Operation New Dawn
• Are veterans or active duty service members.

All information is confidential and will not be shared In addition to travel expenses, participants may receive up to $550 compensation for their time and effort

For more information or to participate in the study, please contact 877-698-3299.

The Raritan Valley Rail Coalition (RVRC) launched a video and petition regarding the ‘One Seat’ direct ride into NYC in an effort to get local legislators to encourage NJ TRANSIT to make it a priority to lay out a plan of action.

In March of 2014 NJ TRANSIT established direct service (no change in Newark) for midday trains on weekdays and in January of 2015 direct trains after 8 pm on weekdays.  However, there has been no more plans for expanding the direct service.

 “We’re only halfway toward our goal of full mid-town direct service,” said Peter Palmer, RVRC Chairman and Somerset County Freeholder.  “This is not just about convenience for commuters.  Direct service in all time slots would have a major impact in terms of economic development, improved property values and the productivity of our commuting workforce.”

The ultimate goal of the RVRC, which has championed the one-seat direct train service to NYC since 1998, is complete direct service from the Raritan Line into NYC.  Currently, riders on peak hour trains still have to transfer in Newark.

Members of the RVRC continue to meet regularly with NJ Transit officials to accomplish this goal. “We understand the complex nature of implementing these changes,” said Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr, who heads the RVRC Mayor’s Coalition. “However, our first responsibility is to the residents of every town on the RVL and making sure they are treated fairly in the transit system.”

To view the video and sign the petition or for more information and articles about the efforts to get one-seat service go to www.raritanvalleyrail.com or contact info@raritanvalleyrail.com

To Whom It May Concern:

Under the terms of the “Open Public Meetings Act” P.L. 1975, C. 231 and N.J.S.A. 10:4-6 et seq., please be advised that the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders will be hosting a Special Meeting on Thursday, February 4, 2016 at 7:30pm at the Administration Building, 10 Elizabethtown Plaza, Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Official action will be taken relative to the introduction for approval on the following Union County Ordinance:

AN AMENDMENT TO THE UNION COUNTY DISTRICT SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN TO INCORPORATE MODIFICATIONS TO THE TERMS AND PROVISIONS OF THE FACILITY LEASE AGREEMENT AND THE AMENDED AND RESTATED WASTE DISPOSAL AGREEMENT WITH COVANTA UNION, INC. FOR THE OPERATION OF THE UNION COUNTY RESOURCE RECOVERY FACILITY TO EXTEND THE LEASE TERM AND REDUCE THE AUTHORITY’S WASTE DELIVERY OBLIGATIONS.

Union County Freeholders Linda Carter and Bette Jane Kowalski joined Union County College President Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin in welcoming the Linden High School Madrigals to the presentation of “Music in the Life of Langston Hughes” at Union County College in Cranford.

Sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs in the Department of Parks and Recreation, the performance celebrated the birth of James Mercer Langston Hughes on Feb. 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. Host Terrance McKnight presented a live adaptation of his radio documentary, “I, Too, Sing America: Music in the Life of Langston Hughes,” which was produced for WQXR, New York Public Radio.

Langston Hughes (1902-1967) was a poet, novelist, playwright and social activist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form known as jazz poetry. Hughes loved music. He wrote songs, opera librettos and gospel plays, and traveled with his record collection. A longtime resident of Harlem in New York City, Langston Hughes also lived in Westfield, New Jersey in the early 1930’s.

The Linden High School Madrigals performed during event.

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Jobs in warehousing industry, Veterans given preference

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce that major warehouse and calling center companies in Union County are holding information sessions for 100 full time and part time job openings for packers, truck loaders and customer service call representatives.

The information sessions will be held at the Union County Workforce Innovation Business Center, at The Mills at Jersey Gardens, 651 Kapkowski Road in Elizabeth on February 9 and 10, at 10:00 and 2:00 p.m. Attendance at one of the sessions is mandatory for job seekers to be eligible to apply for a position. Veterans will be given hiring preference.

“The Workforce Innovation Center continues to be an economic engine for Union County, helping to match high quality local employers with qualified job seekers,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “If you are an employer, I encourage you to get in touch with us, and let our experienced staff help you find the right people for the right jobs.”

The Workforce Innovation Business Center was established by the Freeholder Board with Union County College through a $2.4 million investment in 2014, leveraging the employment services and education experience of both partners.

“The Center has outperformed our expectations, as we created more than a thousand job opportunities in little over a year for Union County residents,” said Freeholder Vice Chairman Sergio Granados, who is in his third year as the Freeholder liaison to the Union County Workforce Advisory Board. “As Liaison, I have asked the Workforce Development Board as a goal to prioritize the creation of more public-private partnerships to exceed the number of opportunities created last year.”

Granados also requested the Center prioritize the hiring of Veterans in support of Chairman Bergen’s 2016 “UC HERO” initiative, which encourages local employers to offer hiring preferences to military veterans. 

Previous Workforce Innovation Center hiring rounds have matched Union County job seekers with top employers including Whole Foods, Doctor Martens and AirServ, among others.

For more details about the new round of hiring and other information about the WIB center visit online at ucnj.org, call 908-355-4473 or email Isaias Rivera, isaias.rivera@ucc.edu.

Union County Freeholder Vice Chairman Sergio Granados (far r.) watched the installation of a web camera at the peregrine falcon nest site atop the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth this morning. The same falcon pair – one of only nesting 26 couples in New Jersey — has been raising chicks at the Courthouse since 2006, making their home in a round doghouse that provides stability in the windy environment. The in-nest “pinhole” camera will be online at the County website, ucnj.org, once the final adjustments are completed. An audio feed and a controllable outer camera will also be installed this summer, enabling bird fans and researchers to follow the action in and around the nest.  (Photos by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

On Dec. 2, 2015, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced that federal disaster loans are again available as a result of Hurricane Sandy.  These low-interest loans are available to small businesses, most private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters located in New Jersey, regardless if they applied during the initial Hurricane Sandy disaster declaration or not.  To date, SBA has approved 131 loans totaling $5,099,500.

“We are seeing an increase in the number of applications, which tells us there are still  businesses and residents that have Hurricane Sandy related needs and who could use our disaster loan program,” said SBA’s Region II Regional Administrator Kellie LeDet.

LeDet, who oversees SBA’s programs and services for New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, added “The reopening of the SBA disaster declaration for Sandy provides a great opportunity for victims of Superstorm Sandy to get much needed funding at a low interest rate.”

According to LeDet, SBA’s customer service representatives are at Disaster Loan Outreach Centers to provide one-on-one assistance and answer questions. There is no cost to apply and no appointment is necessary. The Union County Center is open until further notice, with location and hours of operation below:

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to present an exhibit of photographs by Michael Endy in the gallery space at the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, located in the historic St. John’s Parsonage at 633 Pearl Street in Elizabeth. A selection of his work entitled “Lost Highway, a photographic hymn to New Jersey” is on display at the Pearl Street Gallery through March 25. The public is invited to enjoy the exhibit during regular gallery hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

“Michael Endy is a talented, experienced photographer and a devoted supporter of local arts,” said Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, liaison to the Union County Cultural and Heritage Advisory Board. “It’s a great pleasure to display his fine work.”

Mr. Endy began his artistic training as a child at Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute in Utica, New York. He continued his studies in photography and graphic design at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, receiving his BFA, cum laude, in 1988. Working in New York design agencies for over 20 years, Michael held the title of Creative Director at both Interbrand and Ogilvy CommonHealth before launching his own design consultancy in 2010. He has won more than 30 international design awards and is published in many graphic design books.

Michael and his family live in Westfield, NJ, where he is highly involved in the local art scene as President of the Westfield Art Association. He also is on the exhibition committee of the New Jersey Photography Forum, the publicity committee of the Contemporary Art Group, and a member of the Jersey Art Registry and Pro Arts Jersey City. As a fine art photographer, Michael exhibits extensively. Recent international exhibits include MoNA, the Museum of New Art, in Detroit; Arterie Fine Arts in Chicago; and the Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster, NJ. Recent national exhibits include Photography Now, at the University Place Gallery in Cambridge, MA; the National Juried Photography Exhibit at Gallery 14 in Hopewell, NJ; and the RAW NJ exhibit at the Noyes Museum in Hammonton, NJ.

His self-published book, “Lost Highway, a photographic hymn to New Jersey,” has been selected for inclusion in Photobook 2015, and will soon be exhibited at the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA. Visit his website www.michaelendyphotography.com.

Union County artists (whose works can be hung on a wall) interested in exhibiting in the gallery space are welcome to apply. For more information about the Pearl Street Gallery or other programs, please contact the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, 633 Pearl Street, Elizabeth NJ 07202. Free on-site parking is available. Telephone 908-558-2550. NJ Relay users can dial 711. Send E-mail to: culturalinfo@ucnj.org.