Author: Web Site Administrator

Union County Freeholder Christopher Hudak (center) of Linden is sworn as the 2014 Chairman of the Freeholder Board by New Jersey State Senator Nicholas Scutari during Union County Government’s 157th Annual Reorganization on January 5, 2014 at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth. Holding the Bible are Freeholder Hudak’s wife Terri and their daughter Catherine. They are joined by the Chairman’s parents, John & Susan Hudak.

 

Union County Freeholder Mohamed S. Jalloh (2nd left) is sworn as the 2014 Vice Chairman of the Freeholder Board by Elizabeth and Roselle Municipal Court Judge Carl L. Marshall during Union County Government’s 157th Annual Reorganization on January 5, 2014 at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth. Holding the Bible is the Vice Chairman’s wife Maria. They are joined by his parents, Abdulia Ben Jalloh and Bernice Martina Jalloh, his sister Hawa Washington, his brother Abubakar Jalloh and Anita Eldridge.

Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi administers the oath of office to Union County Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski (right) during Union County Government’s 157th Annual Reorganization on January 5, 2014 at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth. Holding the Bible are the Freeholder’s Husband, Andy Lanset, and her brother John Kowalski.

 

Plainfield Municipal Clerk Abubakar Jalloh administers the oath of office to Union County Freeholder Linda Carter during Union County Government’s 157th Annual Reorganization on January 5, 2014 at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth.

 

Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage administers the oath of office to Union County Freeholder Sergio Granados during Union County Government’s 157th Annual Reorganization on January 5, 2014 at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth. Holding the Bible are the Freeholder’s grandparents, Fernando De Brito and Maris De Brito.

Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi administers the oath of office to Union County Sheriff Ralph Froehlich during Union County Government’s 157th Annual Reorganization on January 5, 2014 at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth. The Sheriff’s wife, Marlene, is holding the Bible. Sheriff Froehlich is now serving his 13th term in office.

 

 

The Union County Department of Parks and Community Renewal has released details of its annual Deer Management Program, which will begin on Monday morning, January 6, in five Union County parks and one municipal park.

Browsing for food by large numbers of deer has caused a loss of forest understory in park areas throughout the northeastern United States.  The overpopulation of deer threatens the survival of the plant and animal communities that are important to the ecology of these parks.

Forest ecologists recommend a density of 20 deer per square mile in a healthy hardwood forest and as low as five per square mile in a forest that has been heavily damaged by browsing.  Spotlight counts conducted by the County in April, 2013, suggested 2013-2014 overwintering densities of about 53 deer per square mile in the Watchung Reservation; 106 per square mile in and around Ash Brook Reservation, and more than 200 per square mile in and around Lenape and Nomahegan Parks.

An analysis completed by the County in 2011 showed that roads bordering Lenape and Nomahegan Parks had some of the highest numbers of deer-car collisions in the County. At the Hawk Rise Sanctuary in Linden, overbrowsing by deer is threatening the survival of hundreds of native plants introduced with the recent construction of a boardwalk.

Since 1995, marksmen in the County of Union’s state-regulated deer management program have reduced the population of white-tailed deer in the Watchung Reservation substantially. In 2005, hunting was initiated in Ash Brook Reservation and in 2006 in portions of Passaic River Park in Summit. Two years ago, hunters harvested deer from Lenape Park for the first time. In 2014, the Lenape Park effort will be expanded to include Nomahegan Park, and the County will administer deer management in Linden’s Hawk Rise Sanctuary as a shared service.

The Watchung Reservation spans over 2,000 acres in Springfield, Mountainside, Scotch Plains, Summit, Berkeley Heights and Watchung. Lenape and Nomahegan Parks cover over 480 acres of land in Cranford, Kenilworth, Union, Springfield and Westfield. The Ash Brook Reservation encompasses 667 acres in Scotch Plains and Clark. The Hawk Rise Sanctuary includes about 45 acres of forest in the City of Linden.

The Union County Deer Management Program will operate on Mondays from January 6 to February 5. In the event of a holiday or inclement weather on a Monday, the hunting activity will be moved to Wednesday that week. If Wednesday brings inclement weather, the hunting will be moved to Friday. Hunters will be in the parks from 5:00 a.m. until after dark, but shooting may occur only during daylight hours.

Thirty-eight marksmen have been chosen by the County from among experienced, licensed hunters. More than half of the hunters have previously participated in Union County’s program; all are serving on a voluntary basis. The hunters will be wearing orange hats or vests and will hunt the deer from elevated positions, at least 20 feet up in the trees, over baited sites.

The hunters may keep any deer carcasses that they harvest. About half of the deer will be processed at a State-approved butcher and the venison will be donated to the needy and homeless through the Community FoodBank of New Jersey.

The deer management program will be supervised by the Union County Police and the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife. Anyone found hunting on any Union County park property outside the terms of this program will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  Citizens observing any such illegal activity are urged to immediately contact the Union County Police at 908-654-9800.

The public should note that these parks will not be closed during the deer management program; however, portions of some roadways inside the park may be closed for short periods if necessary. Park patrons are urged to stay on the marked hiking, walking and bridle trails. Patrons also are urged to keep pets restrained on a leash.

For further information, go to the Union County website at www.ucnj.org/deer or contact the Union County Department of Parks and Community Renewal at (908) 789-3682.

 

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Union County Freeholder Chairman-elect Christopher Hudak will announce his chairman’s initiatives during County Government’s Reorganization at the County Courthouse on Sunday, Jan. 5th, which begins at 12 p.m.

Those scheduled to be sworn into new terms include:  Sheriff Ralph Froehlich, newest Freeholder Sergio Granados, and immediate Past Freeholder Chairman Linda Carter and  Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski. Mohamed S. Jalloh is expected to be appointed as Freeholder Vice Chairman.

Freeholders will also vote to fill numerous positions on county advisory boards and to adopt the board’s 2014 schedule and more.

TIME: Sunday, January 5th, 12 p.m.
PLACE: UNION COUNTY COURTHOUSE,
2 BROAD STREET
JUDGE CASSIDY’S CHAMBERS
ELIZABETH, NJ

ELIZABETH, NJ – Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi is pleased to offer a free 2014 wall calendar that focuses on the 350th Anniversary of Elizabethtown. The calendar includes historic photographs and important dates of concern to voters and candidates for office in this year’s U.S. Senate, Congressional, county, municipal and school board elections.

“This year we are celebrating a once-in-a-lifetime event: the 350th Anniversary of the founding of Elizabethtown, which encompasses much of what is now Union County and its 21 municipalities,” said Ms. Rajoppi. “It is my hope that this 2014 calendar, with its glimpses into our past, will encourage people to celebrate this year’s anniversary in their hometowns and throughout Union County.”

Since 2014 is a U.S. Senate and Congressional election year that also will have elections for county, municipal and school board offices, the calendar highlights many important dates relating to voter registration, mail-in ballots, candidate petition deadlines, primary elections, campaign finance reports, and general election ballot deadlines.

To obtain one of the free 2014 Election Year calendars, visit the Union County Clerk’s web site:www.ucnj.org/government/county-clerk where you’ll find an order form. More information about the 350thAnniversary of Elizabethtown may be found at www.goelizabethnj.com. For general information about elections, please contact the County Clerk’s Election Office at 908-527-4996.

 

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Union County Freeholders Sergio Granados (far l.) and Vernell Wright (far r.) joined the Union County 4-H STEM (Science, Technology, Enginering, and  Math)  Club last Friday for a special celebration in honor of the club’s five-year anniversary. 4-H is a national youth program that fosters learning, leadership and community service, organized in New Jersey through the Rutgers NJ Agricultural Experiment Station and the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County with support from the Freeholder Board. Pictured here are club members (rear, l.-r.) James Brodowski (Cranford), Asa Coleman (Westfield), Cassie Hansen (Rahway), co-leader Melissa Stryker (Scotch Plains), Dylan Kiell (Fanwood), Sandeep Mukherjee (Scotch Plains),  and(front, l.-r.) Joseph Marta (Scotch Plains), Eric Elizes (Westfield), Nathan Lam (Westfield), Brian Noonan (Fanwood), and co-leader TJ Marta (Scotch Plains). Not shown is club member Marcelina Krowinska. For more information about Union County 4-H, contact 4-H Agent James Nichnadowicz at 908-654-9854 orNichnadowicz@njaes.rutgers.edu, or visit ucnj.org/rce.  Photo credit: Taylor Sirchio (Scotch Plains).

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

Photo Caption: Union County Freeholders Sergio Granados (left), Alexander Mirabella (2nd left) and Freeholder Chairman Linda Carter (right) with event staff members Micayla (front left) and Alex Mirabella (front right) and students from the Academy for Information Technology at the closing of the UC STEP program on Friday, December 13th at Kean University’s STEM Building. One of Chairman Carter’s initiatives, the UC STEP program brought together 192 sophomores and juniors from 26 schools around Union County, and featured a day focused on fostering leadership and communication skills as well as personal growth through civic engagement.

 

Union County  – As Anna O’Brian stepped off of the bus onto the grounds of Kean University, the teenager was not too enthused with  the prospect of spending her day there.

But after spending her day bonding and working together with students from the far reaches of Union County she raved about her enriching experience at the UC STEP Program.

“When I thought about the day I was missing at my school, I wasn’t really looking forward to it,” said the Westfield High School student. “But the activities have been amazing. I’ve done things I’ve never done before.”

Anna, along with 192 other Union County high school sophomores and juniors, was selected by her school to participate in UC STEP- a unique program promoting positive youth development through focusing on topics like leadership, personal growth, and more importantly, civic engagement.

“Civic engagement through service and community activities not only inspires youth to become active participants in society, it also fosters empathy and makes students more aware of the issues that plague their greater community,” said Freeholder Chairman Linda Carter.

“I can’t think of a better program to close out my Chairmanship. As an educator, this is something I’m extremely passionate about,” she said.

Hosted by Kean University, the half-day program featured discussion sessions, including “You Be the Judge,” which focused on crafting an effective elevator speech, and “How to be an Effective Leader,” which focused on identifying the diversity, concerns, and values of individuals.

The most popular session was “Civic Engagement,” which brought all of the UC STEP participants together to create, plan, and propose social action projects- the best of which would be chosen by popular vote and executed by Union County’s Board of Chosen Freeholders with the students.

As part of the competition, the students divided into 10 groups containing students from different schools. Using a set of facts about Union County, and minimal guidelines, each group was instructed to envision a project that would be realistic and replicable in other schools, recognizing the diversity of the County’s demographics.

The result was something amazing, according to Amy Wagner, Bureau Chief of Union County’s Bureau of Government Relations and Community Outreach, who served as planning team leader for  the program.

“The students in each group, despite not knowing each other, really embraced the idea of the civic engagement project. It was wonderful to see them working collaboratively and talking about themes like giving, homelessness and mentorship,” Wagner said.

Benjamin Freedman, a student at the Academy for Information Technology talked about his group’s service project- Bringing Holiday Spirit to the Elderly

“The people that have given us hope, deserve some hope back,” he said.

After the presentation portion of the session, the students voted on their favorite projects. The top four projects were:

• 4 Seasons of Service: a project that involves different community service projects based on the seasons of the year.
• Bands for Benefit: a project that involves organizing a large scale concert whose proceeds would benefit Union County’s Homeless.
• Lending a Hand:  which involves Union County high school students serving as tutors and mentors for children in county shelters.
• Support 4 Soldiers: a project that would support a coordinated drive to collect items to be used in care packages for active military troops.

The projects are now open to a larger, community-wide vote to determine the contender which will be announced at Union County’s Reorganizational Meeting on January 5th.

For more information about UC STEP or to vote for your favorite service project, visit their website atwww.ucnj.org/uc-step. Voting is open until 11:59pm on December 30th.

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Union County Freeholder Vernell Wright (3rd R) joined Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage (C) in cutting the ribbon at the grand opening of the As Seen on TV store in Elizabeth. Also in attendance were (from left) Susan Gomez of the Retail Skills Center, Dave Strochak, Executive Director of the Elizabeth Avenue Partnership, Isaias Rivera, Director of the Retail Skills Center, Mary Ann Coscarelli, Assistant Director, Elizabeth Avenue Partnership, David Bernal, owner of As Seen on TV, Linda Saverd of the Greater Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce, Elizabeth Espina of As Seen on TV and Emerson Amador, Chairman of the Elizabeth Avenue Partnership. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Photo Caption: (from left) Union County Freeholders Sergio Granados, Bruce Bergen, and Mohamed S. Jalloh learn about Union County’s new Computer-aided Dispatch System which streamlines dispatch processes for faster emergency response times. They are joined by Union County Chief Dispatcher Gareth Williams (right), and Roselle Mayor Jamel Holley (2nd right) and dispatcher Carmen Malave. The Borough of Roselle, in addition to 16 other agencies, is serviced by Union County’s Dispatch center for a range of emergency needs.

 

Union County  – In 2010, Union County entered into an agreement to provide Police, Fire and EMS dispatch services to the Borough of Fanwood. The arrangement was the first of its kind for the County and provided the Borough with a savings of $230,000 over the three year agreement.  Since then, the shared service model has become increasingly popular, and as a result the Union County Department of Public Safety has felt the need to implement a modern system able to handle the needs of a robust county dispatch center.

 

As such, the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is proud to announce the implementation of a new computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and mobile system which provides the modern technology needed to handle these increased demands. Developed by TriTech Software Systems, Inform CAD and Mobile will provide Union County Public Safety with a high performance communications solution for their Police, Fire, and EMS agencies.

 

“The safety of our residents is of utmost importance to the Freeholder Board,” said Freeholder Mohamed Jalloh, liaison to the Emergency Management Council. “We embrace changes and technology that will improve our efficiency and move us in a direction where we can continue to improve the quality of life for all of Union County.”

 

By providing Dispatch Center personnel and emergency responders in the field with a common platform for quick access to incident and historical information, Inform CAD and Mobile ensures the right resources arrive at an emergency scene in the shortest amount of time.

 

Terrence McCarthy, Director of Clinical Services at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Rahway was excited about the new system commenting that not only will it reduce the amount of time critically ill or injured patients will wait for emergency medical services to arrive, but that it provides paramedics with real time information so paramedics and other responders have vital information prior to arriving at the scene of the emergency. Two of RWJ’s paramedic units get dispatched by Union County’s Regional Dispatch Center.

 

The Union County Department of Public Safety serves a population of more than 500,000 citizens and in 2012 expanded its dispatch operations in an effort to create a larger center to accommodate further dispatch services with the County’s municipalities.

 

Today, the Dispatch Center provides services to 17 agencies and processes approximately 52,000 calls per year.

 

“In an area with such a diverse population and landscape, the public safety needs of each of our towns vary greatly.  What is so exciting about this endeavor is the ability to streamline several processes to create one fast and efficient response system,” said Andrew Moran, Director of Union County’s Department of Public Safety.

 

Perfectly suited for Union County’s multi-jurisdictional dispatch functionality, Inform CAD and Mobile provides a flexible and scalable system that can easily be expanded in to incorporate new communities to the County dispatch model.

 

TriTech Software Systems has been developing innovative solutions for public safety for more than 20 years. The company provides products and services to address any size and type agency with an end-to-end product suite to meet the needs of any agency – PSAP, Law, Fire, or EMS.

 

TriTech Software Systems’ sole focus is public safety software. The company’s experienced team contributes on average, 13 years of industry experience. TriTech has delivered the most trusted public safety software for over two decades and continues to lead the market with innovative, enterprise-wide cloud-based and on-premise solutions for 911, computer aided dispatch, records management, jail management, analytics and intelligence, field-based reporting, patient care reporting, and ambulance billing software.

 

For more information regarding TriTech and their software, visit them online at www.tritech.com.

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