Author: Web Site Administrator

Union County, NJ – With a blustery cold spring soon giving way to seasonably warm weather, it’s time for the annual Union County Spring Garden Fair and Plant Sale. The event takes place on Sunday May 18 from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Demonstration Garden, located by the Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside, 452 New Providence Road.

Now in its 25th year, the Spring Garden Fair offers hundreds of plants for sale along with a full slate of family friendly fun activities, educational presentations, and free expert guidance on gardening.

Fair admission and parking for the rain-or-shine event are both free.

“The Freeholder Board is very proud to support the Spring Garden Fair and the Master Gardeners of Union County,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak. “The Garden Fair is a popular spring tradition that provides hundreds of Union County residents with an opportunity to explore their interest in gardening while contributing to a good cause.”

The Garden Fair is a project of the volunteer Rutgers Master Gardeners of Union County, a community service program of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension supported by the Freeholder Board. Proceeds from the sale go to fund horticulture scholarships and many other Master Gardeners community projects.

Highlights of the plant sale include deer resistant, drought tolerant, fragrant, and easy-to-grow plants for beginner gardeners, as well as varieties of tomatoes for gardening in containers and other small spaces.

Also featured are heirloom tomatoes and other vegetables, a large selection of herbs, hanging baskets, houseplants, and annual and perennial flowering plants.

Other items for sale include Rutgers soil test kits, garden crafts by Master Gardeners, gently used gardening equipment and books, and home baked goodies and other refreshments from the “Cupcake Café.”

Visitors to the Garden Fair can tour the extensive Demonstration Garden and learn about the latest popular trends in gardening including square foot gardening, rain gardens, and rain barrels.

Master Gardeners will be on hand to provide free guidance on gardening and troubleshooting. Visitors are encouraged to bring plant and insect samples for free diagnosis.

Visitors can also talk to personnel from the County’s Mosquito Control Bureau for guidance on controlling mosquitoes, and get information about the Extension’s 4-H Master Tree Steward community service program.

Free children’s activities include free face painting, crafts, and seed planting.

Free parking is available adjacent to the Garden Fair, and at the Loop playground a short walk away. Visitors who plan to purchase plants are advised to bring a small wagon for ease of conveyance.

Please note that no pets are permitted.

New Jersey Master Gardeners are trained volunteers who assist Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Cooperative Extension in its mission to deliver horticulture programs and information to the public. Anyone with an interest in gardening can join. No previous education or training in horticulture is required

For information on becoming a Master Gardener, contact Judi Laganga at the Extension office in Westfield at 908-654-9854 or jlaganga@ucnj.org, or visit ucnj.org/rce.

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Please join the County of Union online at ucnj.org, on Facebook at ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter at twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity program provider and employer. Contact your local Extension Office for information regarding special needs or accommodations. Contact the State Extension Director’s Office if you have concerns related to discrimination, 848-932-3584.

ELIZABETH, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is proud to present artworks by members of the Life Drawing Studio Group in an exhibit at the Freeholders Gallery. The gallery is located on the 6th floor of the Union County Administration Building, Elizabethtown Plaza at Rahway Avenue, in Elizabeth. Gallery hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and the exhibit will be on display until May 28.

Based in Fanwood, the Life Drawing Studio Group (LDSG) is a volunteer-operated, arts-orientated, nonprofit corporation dedicated to bringing arts education, cultural enrichment and creative opportunities to the public. LDSG was founded 20 years ago by Brian Beste. The organization conducts educational programs tailored to the needs of visual artists in the community as well as innovative art education programs for non-artists.

In addition to studio workshops, LDSG conducts a variety of programs and events that help to bring art to the public at large. Besides producing art exhibitions and community outreach programs, LDSG regularly organizes and sponsors excursions to museums, visual arts exhibitions, and other cultural events.

The show includes the work of members Brian Beste, Danielle Linares, Beverly Liftman, Tim Neher, Rayen Sanchez, Jessa Scott, Janet Steinhauer, Candice Testa, and Eric Troia.

The Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, part of the Department of Parks and Recreation, coordinates the exhibits displayed at the Freeholders Gallery. For further information about this and other programs and services related to the arts and history in Union County, please contact the Office at 633 Pearl Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07202; telephone: 908-558-2550; NJ relay users dial 711; or E-mail: culturalinfo@ucnj.org.

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ELIZABETH, NJ – County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi warns home owners in the County of Union and owners of commercial property in the county to beware of people who offer to sell them a certified copy of the deed to their property.

“I have been alerted that Union County residents have been contacted by a company in California called Record Transfer Services that offers to sell property owners a copy of their deed,” said County Clerk Rajoppi. “These offers look very official, but they are not necessary. Don’t be fooled. Normally, you or your attorney already have a copy of your deed.”

“It is advisable to have a copy of your deed stored safely with your other important documents,” continued Clerk Rajoppi. “But if you misplace or lose your deed, you can readily obtain a certified copy from my Office usually for less than $20. Scam artists are charging $83 or more for the same deed. The price for a certified deed is mandated by the state and is a per-page fee.”

If you can’t find your deed, call the Office of the Union County Clerk at 908-527-4787; visit the website:clerk.ucnj.org; or go directly to the County Clerk’s Office where you can easily and quickly obtain a certified copy of your deed for the nominal, state-mandated fee: $8 for the first page and $2 for subsequent pages. You do not have to go to the County Clerk’s office to obtain a certified copy of your deed. And there is no need to go through a middle-man who charges an exorbitant fee for this service.

In 2007, Ms. Rajoppi filed a formal complaint with the Office of the New Jersey Attorney General, citing the solicitation of homeowners to purchase a deed at an exorbitant, excessive cost. Consumers who receive solicitations to buy a deed are invited to contact the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs at 973-504-6200 or 800-242-5846 to file a complaint.

In response to concerns raised by County Clerk Rajoppi and her County Clerk colleagues throughout New Jersey, a bill is pending in the State Legislature to regulate deed procurement services. The legislation is Senate Bill S1635 sponsored by State Senator Shirley K. Turner.

This bill requires non-governmental entities providing deed procurement services to make certain disclosures when soliciting clients. The disclosures include prominently displaying the address and telephone number of the appropriate County Clerk’s office through which the recipient could obtain a copy of the deed directly; the state-authorized per-page fee; a disclaimer that the recipient is not legally required to use the services of the non-governmental entity; and that County Clerk’s offices must receive a copy of the deed solicitation letter at least 15 days before the letter is distributed to property owners.

Property owners are advised to be wary of people purporting to sell “actual” deeds. Only the County Clerk’s Office has the recorded copy of your property deed. The Union County Clerk is responsible for recording, filing and preserving all property transactions occurring within the county. She maintains copies of all documents since 1857 on file in the Record Room, which is open to the public for reference and study.

For further information, call the Office of the Union County Clerk at 908-527-4787, or visit the website:www.ucnj.org/government/county-clerk. The Union County Clerk’s Office is located in the Union County Courthouse at 2 Broad Street, Elizabeth, New Jersey 07207.

 

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The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce 2014 funding for the Union County HEART (History, Education, Arts Reaching Thousands) Grant Program.

The application process for a HEART grant will be explained at a workshop for Union County non-profit organizations, individual artists and scholars. The workshop will be held on Thursday, May 15, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Liberty Hall Museum, Wagon Shed Building, 1003 Morris Ave., Union, 07083. Although the workshop is free of charge, pre-registration is suggested.

“The response to the HEART Grant Program in past years has been exciting,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak. “The recipients are a wonderful mix of creative individuals – poets and writers, historians, painters, photographers, musicians and dancers – plus arts, history and other cultural organizations and civic groups.”

Recognizing the importance of culture and the arts to the county’s quality of life and economy, this innovative program supports projects related to history, the arts and humanities, and demonstrates a commitment to the artists and non-profit organizations of Union County.

“The services provided by these artists, scholars and organizations directly benefit the residents of our county and increase appreciation for the arts, our history, and the humanities,” said Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, liaison to the Union County Cultural and Heritage Programs Advisory Board. “These cultural assets are a vital part of community life, well being, economic development and cultural heritage tourism in Union County.”

For additional information or to register for the HEART Grant workshop, contact the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, 633 Pearl Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07202. Telephone: (908) 558-2550. NJ Relay users dial 711, or E-mail: culturalinfo@ucnj.org.

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Members of the Raritan Valley Rail Coalition (RVRC) are pleased with this week’s announcement from NJ Transit that one-seat ride service to New York’s Penn Station will be expanded to evenings after 8 p.m., starting this fall. 

“One-seat ride service during off-peak weekday hours on the Raritan Valley line has been received very positively since it was launched in March,” said Somerset County Freeholder Peter S. Palmer, who chairs the rail coalition.  “We are very proud of the working relationship we have established with NJ Transit and the evening service is a very important second step of getting increased one-seat ride access using the new dual locomotives.”

“Union County’s Freeholders welcome NJ Transit’s cooperation in expanding this train service to New York,” said Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, a Trustee of the RVRC.  “We have a lot of riders who will benefit from a shorter ride into New York City, and we’ll keep working with the Raritan Valley Rail Coalition to make this rail service easier and faster.” 

NJ Transit has dual-mode locomotives that operate as diesels through Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex and Union counties and can switch to electric to go through the tunnel to Manhattan, making the one-seat ride possible.  Ten trains are part of the current pilot program.

The Raritan Valley Rail Coalition, joined by a coalition of 30 mayors of towns along the line, seeks to ultimately achieve a full one-seat ride Manhattan service on the Raritan Valley line.

“We are a few steps away from getting peak hour access to the one-seat ride,” Freeholder Palmer said, “but this is our number-one, long-term objective.  We’ve been working on this for 15 years and now that we have dual locomotives, we’ll continue to push for this.”

Currently the off-peak weekday direct trains arrive in New York between 10 a.m. and 2:15 p.m.  For departure times from the High Bridge, Raritan and other stations going eastbound, and from Penn Station going westbound, visit http://bit.ly/OneSeatRide 

For more information on the Raritan Valley Rail Coalition, visit their website at http://www.raritanvalleyrail.com/   

Questions: Contact Ken Wedeen, 908-231-7021

Members of the Raritan Valley Rail Coalition (RVRC) are pleased with this week’s announcement from NJ Transit that one-seat ride service to New York’s Penn Station will be expanded to evenings after 8 p.m., starting this fall.

“One-seat ride service during off-peak weekday hours on the Raritan Valley line has been received very positively since it was launched in March,” said Somerset County Freeholder Peter S. Palmer, who chairs the rail coalition.  “We are very proud of the working relationship we have established with NJ Transit and the evening service is a very important second step of getting increased one-seat ride access using the new dual locomotives.”

“Union County’s Freeholders welcome NJ Transit’s cooperation in expanding this train service to New York,” said Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, a Trustee of the RVRC.  “We have a lot of riders who will benefit from a shorter ride into New York City, and we’ll keep working with the Raritan Valley Rail Coalition to make this rail service easier and faster.”

NJ Transit has dual-mode locomotives that operate as diesels through Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex and Union counties and can switch to electric to go through the tunnel to Manhattan, making the one-seat ride possible.  Ten trains are part of the current pilot program.

The Raritan Valley Rail Coalition, joined by a coalition of 30 mayors of towns along the line, seeks to ultimately achieve a full one-seat ride Manhattan service on the Raritan Valley line.

“We are a few steps away from getting peak hour access to the one-seat ride,” Freeholder Palmer said, “but this is our number-one, long-term objective.  We’ve been working on this for 15 years and now that we have dual locomotives, we’ll continue to push for this.”

Currently the off-peak weekday direct trains arrive in New York between 10 a.m. and 2:15 p.m.  For departure times from the High Bridge, Raritan and other stations going eastbound, and from Penn Station going westbound, visit http://bit.ly/OneSeatRide

For more information on the Raritan Valley Rail Coalition, visit their website athttp://www.raritanvalleyrail.com/

Questions: Contact Ken Wedeen, 908-231-7021

Union County Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak (C) welcomed members of Boy Scout Troop 330, Girl Scout Troops 42034 and 40454 and Law Explorer Post 629, all of Linden, to the Union County Administration Building in Elizabeth during a visit as part of the annual Scouts in Government Day. They were joined by Linden Councilwoman Michele Yamakaitis (R).  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders announces that its next mobile paper-shredding program for personal documents will be available on Saturday, May 10, at Alcatel-Lucent in New Providence.

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

The May 10th shredding event will take place at the Alcatel-Lucent Technologies facility, located at 600 Mountain Avenue in New Providence. 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 then dumped onto a conveyor belt and shredded on site. Participants are welcome to view the shredding process via a closed-circuit television. The shredded documents are then recycled, shipped to paper mills and used as pulp. The next shredding event will take place Wednesday, May 14, at the DPW facility 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 atwww.ucnj.org/recycle .

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UNION, NJ – Artist residents of Union County who are 60 years of age or older are invited to participate and exhibit an original work of art in the annual Union County Senior Citizens Art Exhibit. Sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, the exhibit is open to entrants who are either amateur/non-professional or professional in status.

“We have some amazing senior artists in Union County, and it’s always a pleasure to see their work,” said Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, liaison to the Cultural and Heritage Programs Advisory Board.

The artwork will be displayed in the Atrium of the Elizabethtown Gas Company, Liberty Hall Center, 1085 Morris Ave., Union, from June 1 to July 13. An artists’ reception is scheduled for Wednesday, June 11, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Each artist may submit one work that has been completed within the last three years. The deadline for entry is Wednesday, May 21. Entrants may be either amateur/non-professional or professional in status. Any person who meets at least two of the following criteria is considered professional: a) sold the type of art entered in the exhibition through commercial channels; b) exhibited in a professional gallery; c) held professional membership in a guild or association.

Following are the 11 categories of eligible work: oil, acrylic, watercolor (includes gouache); pastel(including chalk, charcoal and oil pastel); print (such as etching, engraving, lithograph, woodcut, monoprint, monotype, silkscreen); drawing (including pencil, pen, ink, graphite, and markers); mixed media (combines two or more media, not one of which clearly predominates; includes collage and assemblage); sculpture (designed in three dimensions, carved or constructed in any medium, abstract or figurative, painted or unpainted); craft (one-of-a-kind creations only, no craft kits or molds); computer imagery (artwork created by computer only, using a pixel-based painting or graphics program, such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator or Corel Painter); and photography. Please note:  photos taken with a digital camera, digitally-altered photos, and images made using a scanner must be entered in the Photography category.

Three professional artists will judge the entries. Awards will go to first, second, third place and honorable mention winners in each category.  First place winners in all categories go on to compete in September at the New Jersey State Senior Citizens Art Show which will take place at the Meadow Lakes retirement community (www.meadowlakesonline.org) in East Windsor.

Guidelines require that hanging artwork, crafts and photographs must be no more than 36 inches and no less than 11 inches in height and width, including matting, from outer edges of the frame.  Standing sculptures or 3-D crafts may not exceed 18 inches in height, width or depth, including the base. All works must be properly labeled and delivered “show-ready” with screw eyes and wiring ready for hanging. Where necessary, pictures must be protected with glass, Plexiglas, Mylar or other clear material. Plexiglas is strongly recommended on pieces over 24 inches.

For a copy of the application, call Nicole DeAugustine, Senior Art Show Coordinator, at the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, 908-558-2550, or email culturalinfo@ucnj.org.  Relay users dial 711. Mail completed applications to 633 Pearl Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07202; or send a fax to 908-558-2652 on or before Wednesday, May 21.

 

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