Category: Public Info

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ—The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Department of Parks and Recreation invite families with children of all ages and adults alike to climb aboard a variety of public safety vehicles at this year’s “Touch A Truck” event on Sunday afternoon, April 30. The event will run from 11:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M., rain or shine in the Lower Loop Parking Lot of the Watchung Reservation. There will also be a quiet hour, from 11:00 A.M. until 12:00 P.M. where children sensitive to noise will be able to enjoy the vehicles on display.

“We are once again happy to host Touch A Truck at the Loop in the Watchung Reservation to give youngsters an opportunity to not only see these magnificent machines, but to actually climb aboard and experience the excitement of being behind the wheel,” said Union County Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen.

Hazmat will offer its big rig, and the Union County Department of Public Works will return with its mammoth white milling machine which is used to strip the top off of roads to prepare them for paving. The companion vehicle, the paver, will also be there, along with a bucket truck used for high tree trimming.

Attendees can also see multiple trucks with snow plows, payloaders, and hook/flatbed tow. And of course, fire department truck equipment from the Mountainside Fire Department is also planned for display.

This year’s Touch A Truck event will feature a special display from the Fire Museum, a 1974 Piece Custom pumper, retired from Mine Hill Fire Department.

Admission to the Touch A Truck event is $4 per person, with children 6 years old and under admitted free. The price of admission also includes admission to Wild Earth Fest.

The Loop Area is located just off Tracy Drive in Mountainside, in between Glenside Avenue and Summit Road. It features a very popular playground area for kids, and the concession stand will be open. Visitors may also visit the Watchung Stable and the Deserted Village of Feltville/Glenside Park. Also, Lake Surprise is just a short walk where residents can see the new dam.

For more information on Touch A Truck, or any event in the Union County Parks System, please visit our website at ucnj.org/parks.

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Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 5^th annual Union County Women Mean Business networking seminar. The popular series brings has brought together Union County businesswomen with experts on hot topics and role models for success every year since 2013.

The special guest speaker for the 2017 Union County Women Mean Business event is Janice Huff, Chief Meteorologist for NBC 4.

“Ms. Huff has gained nationwide recognition for her many contributions to journalism and meteorology, her work on behalf of children in foster care, and her leadership as a mentor in her field,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “She offers a wealth of insights and guidance to everyone who strives for excellence.”

This year’s event will be held on Wednesday, May 17, 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. at The Clubhouse at Galloping Hill, at Union County’s Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth.

The event includes a choice of two breakout sessions helping women to sharpen their communication and networking skills.

Session 1:

• Changing Perceptions: New View, New You
• Powerful Presence: Communicate with Clarity & Confidence
• Tales from the Front Lines: How Local Women Business Owners Continue to Beat the Odds

Session 2:

• Be Decisive: Commit to Financial Success
• From Reactive to Proactive: Are you hirable?
• He Said/She Said: Rock & “Link In” Your Networking Opportunities

The registration fee of $40.00 includes lunch, program, networking cocktail hour (cash bar) and a chance to win prizes including round trip airline tickets.

To register online visit ucnj.org/ucmeansbusiness. For additional information contact Deana Mesaros, dmesaros@ucnj.org or call 908-659-7412.

The 2017 Union County Women Mean Business is sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and its partners, with the generous support of Diamond Sponsor ConnectOne Bank, Gold Sponsor KemperSports, Silver Sponsor Winning Strategies Washing, and Bronze Sponsors Southwest and Suplee, Clooney & Company.

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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.

Connect with Union County on social media.

A water main break has shut down traffic on Elizabethtown Plaza outside of the County Courthouse Annex, Jail and Administration Building. Drivers are advised to avoid the area. Pedestrians are advised to use caution due to street flooding.

This alert has since expired.

Please note that due to last week’s cancellation, the regular meeting of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders will be held this Thursday, April 20, 2017 at 7 p.m.  The following Thursday, April 27, 2017 will be a double meeting (agenda meeting and regular meeting.) Also, please note that proposed resolution 2017-329 regarding the Watchung Reservation Trails master Plan has been pulled from the agenda and will not be voted on Thursday, April 20, 2017.

Due to potential health and public safety issues caused by a water main break on Elizabethtown Plaza in Elizabeth, tonight’s Union County Freeholder meeting has been canceled. The rescheduled date will be announced on Monday.

Bill Providing Immediate Boost of $400M for TTF Includes Funds for Key Infrastructure Work

Senate President Steve Sweeney and Senator Nicholas P. Scutari today announced the allocation of transportation funding to advance the Tremley Point Connector, a long-sought infrastructure project that is vital to improving roadway safety and fueling economic development in the region. Freeholders Christopher Hudak and Angel Estrada, Assemblymen Jerry Green and Jim Kennedy, Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan, and Linden Mayor Derek Armstead were among those who also participated in the news conference. U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, who has long advocated the project, applauded the result.

Funding for the project is included in the recently-enacted legislation providing an immediate boost of $400 million to the Transportation Trust Fund this year.

“The Tremley Point Connector will keep 18-wheelers that come off the highway out of residential neighborhoods, allow trucking companies to save dollars by reducing the cost of their vehicles sitting in traffic and increase access to land that businesses will be inclined to develop,” said Senator Sweeney. “It’s good for transportation, for the economy and for the quality of life. This is why we renewed the Transportation Trust Fund for eight years and why we increased funding by $400 million this year. This project is ready to go and we now have money in the TTF to pay for it.”

The Tremley Point Connector will create a key access road to remove heavy truck traffic from local roadways and facilitate the flow of commercial services and products with a direct connection from the New Jersey Turnpike to the Tremley Point section of Linden, an industrialized area that is critical to the regional economy.

“We knew that getting transportation dollars out the door immediately was crucial to getting vitally-needed infrastructure projects moving across the state,” said Senator Scutari, who has worked with the state Transportation Department for years to get the project done. “This is significant progress on a project that we have been working on for years and that will benefit the residents of Linden and Union County. We were able to move quickly on this project with the increase to the TTF.”

The immediate allocation will be for $2 million to complete the preliminary engineering work needed to follow through on the project, which will also attract federal funds.

“In 2005, I secured $100 million for the Liberty Corridor—a set of projects to improve northern New Jersey’s mobility, and to ensure that our businesses have the infrastructure they need to bring their goods to market and compete in the global economy,” Senator Menendez said.  “The Tremley Point Connector Road is an integral part of this effort, and I’m pleased that through this commitment of state funds secured by Senate President Sweeney, Senator Scutari and all of our county and local partners, we can move towards making this project a reality.”

The Exit 12 access road from the Turnpike now directs traffic through the South Wood Avenue section of the city. The proposed connector will intersect with Industrial Highway in Carteret, traverse the Rahway River and connect at Tremley Point Road in Linden. It would provide direct access between New Jersey Turnpike Interchange 12 via Industrial Highway and the Tremley Point area of Linden.

“This project is important for roadway safety in the local community and for economic activity in the region,” said Sheriff Cryan. “Completion of the connector will address safety concerns in residential areas and create an opportunity for economic benefits by allowing for the efficient flow of traffic and the development of unused property in the area.”

Freeholder Hudak noted the project had been a priority of the County, which had developed plans for it, for many years, but had lacked funding until now.

“The construction of the Tremley Point Connector Road is vital to the economic and public safety interests to the region as a whole and to the residents of the City of Linden, especially those who are impacted by the current truck and industrial traffic to this area,” said Hudak, a resident of Linden. “It will also free up development that could create thousands of jobs. I would like to thank Senators Sweeney and Scutari for making this a reality.”

The transportation funding bill that will immediately pump an additional $400 million into the TTF for infrastructure work includes $140 million for NJ Transit for technology improvements and system safety and $260 million for work on roads and bridges throughout the state.

The funding will be distributed within 100 days for projects identified by the Department of Transportation through the Transportation Trust Fund selection process. The added funding for the 2017 Fiscal Year will boost total spending to $2 billion, the same level that will be sustained over the next eight years under the plan that renewed the TTF.

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce that 34 Union County arts organizations will receive a total of $64,000 in grants from the Union County Local Arts Grant Program for the funding year 2017.

“This new round of funding demonstrates that our local arts community has earned a reputation for delivering programs that make significant contributions to the quality of life in Union County, and throughout New Jersey,” said Union County Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “On behalf of the Freeholder Board, I wish our awardees all the best for a successful and productive season.”

The 34 grants are made possible through funding provided by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner organization of the National Endowment for the Arts. The grant program is administered by the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs.

“A little goes a long way, and this new round of funding will reach thousands of Union County residents with programs and activities that enrich and educate,” said Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, who is the Freeholder Liaison to the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs.

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts has designated the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs as one of the “anchor institutions that make significant contributions to the quality of life in New Jersey, and has recognized its “solid history of service excellence, substantial activity and broad public service.”

The $64,000 in grants represents part of a larger $144,000 Council on the Arts award for Union County.

The balance of the grant will be matched by the Freeholder Board, enabling the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs to present the Teen Arts Program, the Senior Citizen Art Exhibit, Music in the Mills and gallery exhibits as well as technical assistance workshops and other services for Union County artists, cultural organizations and residents.

The 2017 Local Arts Grantees are:

• Afternoon Music, Inc.
• American Theater Group
• Bridgeway
• CDC Community Theatre
• Celebration Singers
• Chinese American Music Ensemble
• Choral Art Society of New Jersey, Inc.
• City of Plainfield Senior Citizens Center
• Community Access Unlimited
• Community Educational & Cultural Association, Inc.
• Community Players of Westfield
• Concord Singers
• Connection for Women and Families
• Continuo Arts Foundation
• Elizabeth Public Library
• First United Methodist Church
• Friends of Springfield Library
• Gateway Family – YMCA of Eastern Union County
• Ivy Visions Charitable Arm/Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
• Jewish Community Center of Central NJ
• Kenilworth Public Library
• King’s Daughter’s Day School
• Life Drawing Studio Group
• Linden Public Library
• New Jersey Workshop for the Arts
• Plainfield Public Library
• Plainfield Symphony Orchestra
• Rahway Valley Jerseyaires
• Summit Chorale
• Summit Public Library
• Summit Symphony Orchestra
• The August Symphony Orchestra
• United Way of Greater Union County
• YWCA of Eastern Union County

For more information about Union County arts grant programs or to learn about other programs, services and volunteer opportunities through the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, call 908-558-2550 (NJ Relay users dial 711), email culturalinfo@ucnj.org or visit during regular business hours at 633 Pearl Street in Elizabeth.

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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.

Connect with Union County on social media.

Union County Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen joined Union County College President Dr. Margaret McMenamin, Union County College Board of Trustees Chairman Victor M. Richel, Dr. Thomas M. Ombrello, a biology professor at the college, Bill Emmitt, co-chair of the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church Tree Committee, Bernards Township Administrator Bruce McArthur and students at the ceremony marking the removal for relocation of the progeny of the Basking Ridge Oak tree from Union County College’s Historic Tree Grove in Cranford.

The Basking Ridge White Oak tree, believed to be one of the oldest trees in North America, is estimated to be at least 600 years old and is located at the Presbyterian Church of Basking Ridge. Last year the tree was determined to be dead.

Dr. Ombrello collected acorns from the old tree in 2001and created a sapling that was planted in the tree grove in Cranford. The new 16-year-old, 20-foot-tall oak will be transported to the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church to continue growing in a spot near its predecessor.

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to present an exhibit of giclée fine art prints of paintings by Gina Minichino of Westfield 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 her work entitled “Junk Food Mania 2017” is on display at the Pearl Street Gallery through June 9. The public is invited to enjoy the exhibit during regular gallery hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

“The talent and diversity of our county artists assure an inspiring variety of exhibits at the Pearl Street Gallery,” said Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, liaison to the Union County Cultural and Heritage Advisory Board. “We are delighted to display colorful fine art prints of Gina Minichino’s entertaining paintings.”

“I grew up with a pencil, pen or marker in my hand. After graduating from Westfield High School, I knew I wanted to go to art school in New York to learn to draw cartoons,” Minichino said. “At the School of Visual Arts I studied with great cartoonists like Harvey Kurzman, Will Eisner and Sam Viviano. After graduation, I took a

painting class and found a new passion.”

“I loved exploring light and color and learning how it all worked,” Gina added. “I continue to paint things that fascinate me…like people…and junk food.”

In 2016, Ms. Minichino had a solo exhibit at the George Billis Gallery, NYC. In 2014 her work was in Jersey Women Artists Now: Contemporary Visions, George Segal Gallery, Montclair. She exhibited in the 25^th International Juried Show at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey in Summit, and in many other venues around throughout the USA.

Ms. Minichino is an accomplished realist painter. She draws on her technical ability as a painter to create miniatures of classic American food. In addition, Minichino has been drawing caricatures at events for over 20 years. These days she teaches private art classes in her Westfield studio. Her varied and interesting artwork can be seen at www.ginaminichino.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.

With the winter weather that has just passed, potholes are a frequent issue for drivers. The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders would like you to know there are resources you can use to report them to the proper agency.

“We certainly encourage drivers and commuters to report any pothole they encounter on roads throughout Union County to the responsible authority,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce Bergen. “A pothole lives on until reported.”

To report a pothole or any other issue with a county road, use an online form available through the Union County Department of Public Works and Facilities Management at https://ucnj.org/pot-hole/

The online form lists only County roads.

Persons without Internet access can report potholes on Union County roads by calling 908-789-3660.

For potholes on state highways, call the New Jersey Department of Transportation at 1-800-POTHOLE or use the online form at http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/commuter/potholeform.shtm

For local roads, contact the municipality in which the road is located.

To plan a commute around major road projects that may disrupt traffic patterns in Union County, visit the “Road Construction Update” page at https://ucnj.org/traffic

For all mass transit information, visit Union County ConneXions at https://ucnj.org/connect