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MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – Families will enjoy the beauty and serenity of the Watchung Reservation by participating in the Saturday Outdoor Adventures at Trailside Nature & Science Center in Mountainside. Sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Department of Parks and Community Renewal, these theme hikes and nature-related talks begin at the Trailside Visitors Center and are designed for families with children of all ages.

“The Saturday Outdoor Adventures are a great opportunity for families to enjoy the beautiful Watchung Reservation and experience the splendor of the fall season, while learning new and interesting facts about our local wildlife and environment,” said Freeholder Vice-Chairwoman Deborah Scanlon. “I hope many families will take part in these exciting programs.”

On Saturday, Oct. 23, at 10 a.m., the “Red Trail Ramble” will have families explore the Hilltop Swamp trail. Discover the bounty of food available to wildlife at this time of year and scour the forest floor for animal tracks.

On Nov. 13, at 10 a.m., families are invited to visit the Bird Viewing Area at the Trailside Visitors Center during “Backyard Birds,” a program to help participants discover how to identify backyard birds by site and sound. During this fascinating program, families also will learn which birds stay for the cold winter months and which migrate south.

During “Lenape Native Americans” on Nov. 20, at 2 p.m., families will visit Trailside’s Lenape exhibit and learn how these Native Americans used this land to survive. Visitors will search outdoors for plants and trees used to help cure colds, construct wigwams, build canoes and make arrow shafts.

The final Saturday Outdoor Adventure on Dec. 4, at 2 p.m., is “Winter Tree ID,” a program designed to teach participants why trees lose their leaves for the winter. Families will use buds, branches and bark to identify tulip, beech, dogwood and oak trees.

Admission to Trailside’s Saturday Outdoor Adventures is by donation. Some programs require pre-registration.
For additional information about the Saturday Outdoor Adventures or about other upcoming programs and special events, please call 908-789-3670 or visit Trailside on the web atwww.ucnj.org/trailside

Trailside Nature & Science Center is located at 452 New Providence Road (at Coles Avenue) in Mountainside and is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – Families have fun investigating the Watchung Reservation in the fall with naturalist Susan Day. Trailside Nature & Science Center offers Saturday outdoor programs this fall for adults and children of all ages. For information, call 908-789-3670 or visit on the web atwww.ucnj.org/trailside .

ELIZABETH, NJ – Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi announces a new service for voters that makes sample ballots accessible online starting today. The new website access, available atwww.ucnj.org/government/county-clerk is in addition to the mailed sample ballot each registered voter is mandated to receive at their home address prior to the General Election.

“I am excited by this new program that we are bringing to voters,” Ms. Rajoppi said. “Preparing to vote in Union County just got easier. We are the first county in the state to put each of our voting districts online so that voters in each town can preview their specific ballot.”

There are 438 voting districts in Union County.

Ms. Rajoppi said the increased accessibility will allow voters more time to familiarize themselves with the ballot, locate their district and polling place, and better prepare them in general for the voting booth. The information on the web also is made available in the event a voter moves, misplaces their mailed sample ballot, or the voter is the victim of a lost sample ballot. Students who attend out of state schools also can benefit by familiarizing themselves with the ballot in preparation for voting by mail.

The new online service allows the voter to access their ballot by selecting their municipality, then their district and ward if applicable. It is not necessary to know your district or ward to navigate the system since a search tool is provided to allow the voter to find this information by their street address.

“I encourage registered voters to use this simple tool to preview their ballot before casting their vote in the General Election on Tuesday, November 2nd,” Ms. Rajoppi said.

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Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi presents Union County Freeholder Chairman Daniel Sullivan with a check for $60,000 for the Union County Homeless Trust Fund. The purpose of the Homelessness Trust Fund is to move the homeless and formerly homeless into permanent affordable housing and can be used for rental assistance, and as leverage for additional funding It is funded entirely through a $3 surcharge on recording transactions processed through the Union County Clerk’s Office. The $60,000 was collect from May to September 2010. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholder Nancy Ward (2nd L) accepts a Community Change Award for “Christopher’s Program” on behalf of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders from New Jersey Black Issues Convention (NJBIC) Board Secretary Barbara James, John Hinds (2nd R) and Chairman Jerome Harris at the NJBIC 28th Annual Black Leadership Conference “Strengthening Families & Building Community: Change We Can Believe In” at the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick. The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders partnered with the New Jersey Superior Court to introduce “Christopher’s Program,” an intensive effort to help prevent gang violence. (Photo by Kelly Coyle/County of Union)

NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ – The County of Union will sponsor a recycling event for electronic equipment and unwanted paper documents on Saturday, Oct. 30, so Union County residents can get rid of unwanted computers, televisions and other electronic equipment, and shred old personal documents in a secure and environmentally proper manner.

The special recycling event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Alcatel-Lucent facility, 600 Mountain Avenue, New Providence 07974.

All residents of Union County are eligible to participate at no cost. There is a limit of six electronic items and/or four bags/boxes of paper per car.

“Computer monitors and old televisions are the source of a considerable amount of lead – about five pounds per screen,” said Freeholder Rick Proctor, liaison to the Union County Solid Waste Advisory Board. “Up to 95 percent of most electronic appliances can be recycled. This is a responsible way to keep hazardous heavy metals out of our environment.”

Electronic equipment that will be accepted on Oct. 30 includes computer monitors, hard drives, modems, keyboards, CPU’s, mice, printers, scanners, speakers, televisions, VCR’s, fax machines, telephones, and circuit boards.

All that residents need to do is drive to the site with their electronic equipment and unwanted personal documents. Workers at the site will unload the vehicles. Pre-registration is not required for this special collection.

Refrigerators, washers and dryers, microwaves, and air conditioners will not be accepted.

A complete list of the materials that will be accepted on Oct. 30 is available at the Union County Bureau of Planning and Environmental Conservation website: www.ucnj.org/community/recycling .

The electronics collection will be held rain or shine, for Union County residents only and not for businesses. Proof of Union County residency is required.

In addition to the special Oct. 30 electronics recycling event sponsored by the County of Union, there are other local opportunities for residents to recycle electronic equipment. Visitwww.ucnj.org/community/recycling for more computer and electronics recycling options.

The Oct. 30 paper-shredding event will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. The shredding event will end before 1:00 p.m. if the shredding truck reaches capacity.

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

All Union County residents are eligible to use the personal document paper-shredding service. In an effort to accommodate all participants, there is a limit of four boxes per person. Documents should not be bound. Please remove plastic binders and paperclips. Residents should 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 put through the shredder. 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 mobile shredding program is paid for through funds from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Solid Waste Services Tax Grant.

Shredding may be cancelled in the event of extreme bad weather. Please call the Recycling Hotline for more information about future events, directions, or event day cancellation at 908-654-9889 or visit us online at www.ucnj.org/community/recycling .

Students should make tracks and travel through time during “Four Centuries in a Weekend: A Journey through Union County’s History” on Saturday, Oct. 16 (10 a.m.-5 p.m.) and Sunday, Oct. 17 (noon-5 p.m.). Students and young children will learn about the history of Union County and have the chance to win free tickets to a variety of events and performances.

Four Centuries 2010 showcases 25 historic house museums and sites located in towns and cities throughout Union County. This public history event has been presented annually since 1997 by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

Families, senior citizens, scout troops and history enthusiasts make up the annual audience of more than 4,000. Each year, about half the people are repeat visitors and half are first-time visitors coming from Union County and beyond.

The Time Traveler Sweepstakes was added last year, not only to attract more students to local historic sites but also to draw them to cultural events. Site specific activity sheets and entry forms are available at each of the Four Centuries locations. Students complete the activity sheet by moving around the site, by listening to volunteer docents and by asking questions. Each student may submit a completed entry form for each site visited during the weekend.

Completed entry forms must be mailed or delivered to the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, 633 Pearl Street, Elizabeth by Friday, Oct. 29. Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski will draw the ten winning entry forms at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 4 at the County Administration Building in Elizabeth.

“We’re delighted by the positive response donors have had in providing wonderful prizes for this year’s Sweepstakes,” said Freeholder Chairman Daniel P. Sullivan. “Both the Weekend and the Sweepstakes introduce our young people to history and the arts at an early age. We hope that their interest will grow with them into adulthood, creating a love of history and the arts.”

Sweepstakes prizes were donated by local arts and history nonprofit organizations and agencies within Union County government and include one week of summer camp at Hedgehog & Feather Theater Co.; a two-hour private archery lesson for a student and parent at Union County’s Oak Ridge Park; and family admission to the Pumpkin Sail at Echo Lake Park.

Additional prizes are two free tickets to a live performance: Celebration Singers’ Holiday Treasures Concert; “Stuart Little” at the Cranford Community Theatre; the Easter Celebration at Liberty Hall Museum at Kean University; a performance of the winner’s choice at Premiere Stages at Kean University; Ice Skating with Santa at Union County’s Warianco Park; and New Jersey Ballet’s “Cinderella” at the Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway.

For more information about the Time Traveler Sweepstakes or Four Centuries in a Weekend, please contact the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs at 908-558-2550 orculturalinfo@ucnj.org A complete list of prizes, performance dates and donors is available atwww.ucnj.org/cultural 
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7,000 Mail-in Votes Expected in Union County

ELIZABETH, NJ – County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi will open her office on Saturday, Oct. 30, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for voters seeking last-minute Vote By Mail ballots. The office at 2 Broad Street, Elizabeth, will be open as a public service for voters seeking Vote By Mail ballots for the Nov. 2nd General Election.

“Every voter should have the opportunity to cast his or her ballot in the general election for the U.S. House of Representatives, county and municipal offices,” Rajoppi said. “We want to ensure that even those who have a last-minute change of plans can have a chance to cast their vote.”

Walk-in applications are accepted up to 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 1, the day before the general election. Voters do not need to give a reason why they wish to use the Vote By Mail option.

“By opening the office on the Saturday before the general election, as we have done for the past 14 years, we hope to assist those citizens whose working hours or other commitments keep them from applying during the work week,” Rajoppi said.

Voters will be able to drop-off their completed Vote By Mail ballot at the Union County Clerk’s office. This option allows voters to pick up their ballots, vote in privacy and deposit them in a secured lockbox – all at the same office through 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 1.

“The new Vote By Mail option, which has replaced Absentee Ballots, makes voting more accessible, particularly for senior citizens,” Rajoppi said.

Completed ballots will be kept in a secure lockbox under the control of the Union County Board of Elections, who will collect them for counting. The County Clerk’s office has processed more than 5,300 Vote By Mail applications to date for the General Election and expects the number to exceed 7,000 before Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 2.

To obtain an application, voters may download the form at the County Clerk’s website:www.ucnj.org/government/county-clerk/vote-by-mail or pick up an application at their local municipal building. Last-minute voters must bring the completed form to the County Clerk’s Office on Saturday, Oct. 30, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., or on Monday, Nov. 1, before 3 p.m.

For more information, contact the Union County Clerk’s office at 908-527-4996.

Union County Sheriff Ralph Froehlich (L) rings the bell as Scotch Plains Police Chief Brian Mahoney (2nd L) reads the name of Cranford Police Officer Robert Hand, who was killed pursuing a suspect in 1975, during the Union County Law Enforcement In The Line Of Duty memorial service October 9 at the John H. Stamler Police Academy in Scotch Plains. Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow (2nd R) presented Cranford Police Chief Eric Mason (R) with a plaque in Officer Hand’s honor. The 37 officers killed in the line of in Union County since 1895 were remembered at the ceremony. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

ELIZABETH, NJ – Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi announced that her office has completed the transfer of millions of documents into a back-up computer system. The new system will ensure that Union County land records will be secure in the event of a weather-related emergency or other catastrophic event.

“After September 11, 2001, when Wall Street was closed for a week, we felt the repercussions of a business standstill. My office is an economic linchpin of the county,” Ms. Rajoppi said. “If people cannot conduct business, and that includes the buying and selling of property, then the economy of Union County would come to a halt. We want to do everything possible to avoid that situation.”

With that in mind, Ms. Rajoppi created a duplicate computer program partly funded by state grants that stores property records and other types of documents on a second computer at a secure off-site location a distance from her office at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth.

“This system is compliant with all New Jersey Division of Archives and Records Management requirements and recommendations for disaster recovery,” Ms. Rajoppi added. “It allows my office to be up and running within hours in the event of a catastrophic event at our main office.”

“It is my responsibility to protect the integrity and availability of homeowners’ records – in most cases, the most valuable asset our residents own. This system ensures the continuity of operations and accessibility to those records. I hope it never has to be used, but we are prepared if we do have to use it,” Ms. Rajoppi said.

The Office of the County Clerk maintains copies of all land documents since 1857, when the County of Union was created. The documents stored on the back-up computer include deeds, mortgages, assignments, equity loans, liens, Federal tax liens, foreclosures, mortgage cancellations, notice of settlements, construction liens, trade name certificates and UCC (Uniform Commercial Code).

Union County, NJ – The Union County Vo-Tech Schools Academy for Performing Arts officially opened its new building today at the Vo-Tech Schools campus in Scotch Plains. The new high school offers young Union County residents the opportunity to build a career in the performing arts, in partnership with Kean University.

“On behalf of the Freeholder Board, I would like to thank Vo-Tech Schools Superintendent Thomas J. Bistocchi and Kean University President Dawood Farahi for their vision of a first-class performing arts experience for high school students in Union County,” said Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski. “The performing arts are an important employer in our region, and the new academy will enable generations of young people to gain a foothold in this very competitive and rewarding field.”

“The Academy for Performing Arts complements the entire Vo-Tech program and enhances our mission of enabling young people to begin building successful careers while still in high school,” said Dr. Bistocchi. “The new academy will focus on challenging academics and a supportive atmosphere in which creative skills can flourish.”

The Academy for Performing Arts accepted its first class of 55 freshmen in fall 2008. Classes were held in a temporary space on campus while the new building was under construction.

“This partnership brings a world-class education in the performing arts to talented students throughout Union County,” said Dr. Farahi. “These young men and women will benefit from the many resources in and outside the classroom and the first-rate performance spaces on the Kean University campus as they make valuable contributions to our community.”

The Academy is a four-year, full-time high school that challenges students with a rigorous academic program and immerses them in a dynamic performing arts program, while creating a community that values honesty, integrity, and citizenship.

In a groundbreaking partnership with Kean University, the high school program culminates with a senior year at Kean, where students take a full freshman college course load. When students graduate, they will have earned a high school diploma and finished their first year of college.

Academy for Performing Arts students also benefit from master classes provided by distinguished Kean faculty on both the Kean and Vo-Tech campuses. Kean University also provides the Academy with the use of its Little Theatre and Wilkins Theatre for recitals and performances.

In addition to theater and dance programs, the Academy provides programs in the technical arts, and Academy students work alongside Kean’s technical crew to help manage the shows.

A total of $20 million in funding for the Academy was approved by the Freeholder Board in May 2008. The total includes $15 million for the building at the Vo-Tech Schools campus, and $5 million for new facilities used by Academy students at the Kean University campus.

The new Academy for Performing Arts is located just inside the main entrance to the Vo-Tech Schools campus at 1776 Raritan Road in Scotch Plains. With its translucent glass lobby, the 42,000 square foot building serves as a gateway and design centerpiece for the campus. The building includes a performance space, studios for theater and dance classes, recording facilities, and an outdoor courtyard that doubles as an amphitheater.

(From left) Union County Freeholders Angel G. Estrada and Bette Jane Kowalski join Kean University President Dawood Farahi and Union County Vo-Tech Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas J. Bistocchi in applauding the students’ performance at the official opening of the Union County Vo-Tech Schools Academy for Performing Arts at the Vo-Tech Schools campus in Scotch Plains. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Students perform at the official opening of the Union County Vo-Tech Schools Academy for Performing Arts at the Vo-Tech Schools campus in Scotch Plains. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)