Category: Public Info

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders invites parents and caregivers to attend any of the upcoming Union County Police Department Traffic Safety Education programs to learn about car and bike safety equipment for children.

“As children start to spend more time outside and the summer travel season approaches, now is the time for parents and caregivers to ensure they are wearing properly fitted bike helmets, and that child safety seats are properly sized and installed,” said Freeholder Chairman Sergio Granados.

To help parents and caregivers ensure that helmets and car seats are adjusted properly, the Union County Department of Public Safety is offering a series of free Traffic Safety Education programs  in May, June, July and August, in partnership with IKEA.

Trained personnel will be on hand to provide guidance who can provide guidance and answer questions on bicycle safety and the proper use of a bicycle helmet, and to ensure that car seats are installed correctly.

“We want to encourage children to enjoy healthy outdoor activities, and it is also important to get children in the habit of using safety equipment that is adjusted properly,” added Chairman Granados.

New Jersey state law requires helmets for persons under age 17 using a bicycles, skateboards, in-line skates and conventional roller skates

The dates and locations for the programs are:

Friday, May 25

Child Seat Education Workshop (Bilingual)

8:00am – 10:00am

1122 E. Grand Street, Elizabeth

 

Saturday, June 2

 “Ask the Expert” Traffic Safety Education Table

1:00pm – 3:00pm

1000 IKEA Drive, Elizabeth

 

Sunday, June 3

Garwood Rocks Street Festival

10:00am – 5:00pm

Downtown Garwood

 

Saturday, June 16

Child Seat Inspection Clinic

12:00pm – 4:00pm

1000 IKEA Drive, Elizabeth

 

Saturday, July 14

Child Seat Inspection Clinic

12:00pm – 4:00pm

1000 IKEA Drive, Elizabeth

 

Saturday, August 4

Child Seat Inspection Clinic

12:00pm – 4:00pm

1000 IKEA Drive, Elizabeth

For more information about the Traffic Safety Education programs, contact Christine Marcantonio, Traffic Safety Program Coordinator at cmarcantonio@ucnj.org or 908-789-6830.    

 

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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, NJ – Members of the Union County 4-H Teen Service Club volunteered as docents at the Rutgers Geology Museum last Saturday for a National Science Foundation program called In Search of Earth’s Secrets: A Pop-Up Science Encounter.

The students helped visitors navigate the interactive exhibits, as part of a collaborative project including the Rutgers University Department of Marine & Coastal Science, the New Brunswick Free Public Library, and the Girl Scouts of Central & Southern New Jersey.

Pictured here, Union County 4-H member Michael Laumbach of Scotch Plains explains plate tectonics to visitors.

Union County 4-H is a learn-by-doing youth development program run by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County, supported in part by the Freeholder Board. To join a club or to get more information contact Union County 4-H Agent Jim Nichnadowicz at jnichnadowicz@ucnj.org or visit online at ucnj.org/rce.

Photo credit: Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County.

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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 Sergio Granados and Freeholder Angel G. Estrada present a resolution to members of the Elizabeth Portugal Day Committee congratulating Grand Marshal Leonilde Mateiro, Marshal Manuel Pinho (posthumously) and Honorary Marshal Marie Costa while recognizing the longest-running Portuguese Parade in the State of New Jersey. The 40th annual Portuguese Day Parade on June 3, 2018 in Elizabeth. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholder Chairman Sergio Granados and Freeholder Alexander Mirabella present a resolution to the players and coaches of the Westfield High School Blue Devils Football Team congratulating them on winning their third straight North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 Championship with a 20-7 victory over Bridgewater-Raritan. They were joined by Assemblywoman Linda Carter. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholder Chairman Sergio Granados and Freeholders Angela R. Garretson and Mohamed S. Jalloh present a resolution to the players and coaches of the Roselle Catholic High School Lady Lions Girls Basketball Team congratulating them on winning the 2018 Union County Tournament Championship. They were joined by Assemblywoman Linda Carter. The Lady Lions, under the guidance of Head Coach Joe Skrec, captured their sixth championship in school history as the second seed in the tournament. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders presents a resolution to Assemblywoman Linda Carter (D-22) of Plainfield commending her for her outstanding leadership as a former Union County Freeholder since being sworn into her first term in 2010. In 2013, Assemblywoman Carter made history as the first African-American woman to Chair the Union County Freeholder Board. The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders commends former Freeholder Carter for her years of service to the County of Union and its residents and wishes her many years of success in the New Jersey State Assembly. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Study addresses flooding in Cranford, Kenilworth, Garwood, Rahway, Springfield and Union and surrounding counties

Key federal legislation that would among other items, address flooding concerns in Union County and other central New Jersey locations is advancing—thanks in part to the efforts of Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker.

Freeholder Vice Chair Bette Jane Kowalski (of Cranford) and Freeholder Bruce Bergen (of Springfield) have been long advocating for the completion of the Rahway River Basin Flood Risk Management Feasibility Study, which  provides a blueprint on how to protect central New Jersey communities from Rahway River flooding—including Cranford, Kenilworth, Springfield, Union, Rahway and Garwood in Union County.

“The study is designed to provide a long-lasting solution to a problem that has plagued many of our municipalities for years, if not decades, causing tens of millions in property damage,” said Freeholder Vice Chair Kowalski. “We applaud the efforts of Senators Bookers and Menendez that have brought this important issue for a final vote.”

Freeholder Bergen, who has long worked with a Union County Mayor’s Committee to address flooding, also thanked both Senators, adding: “The bill not only expedites the completion of the study, but would also urge the Secretary of the Army to proceed directly through the Army Corps of Engineers to project preconstruction, engineering, and design.”

Freeholder Chairman Sergio Granados also expressed his appreciation to both Senators—and to Freeholders Bergen and Kowalski for their diligence in staying on the issue through the years on the Board.

“While there is still a final vote pending,  I would like to thank both my colleagues—Freeholders Bergen and Kowalski for their perseverance and efforts with our Senators to advance such critical legislation that would protect Union County residents and their homes from flood damage,” Chairman Granados said.

Support for the funding, completion and implementation of the study is included in America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018—bipartisan legislation that includes provisions both Booker and Menendez fought for to expedite critical flood mitigation projects, strengthen the nation’s aging water infrastructure, and help boost the water utility workforce. The bill now heads to the full Senate for a vote after being passed by the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee, which Booker is a member of.

“Investing in our water infrastructure is critical to the health and safety of our state’s residents, and to New Jersey’s and our nation’s economic success,” said Senator Booker. “This legislation will help protect New Jersey communities from flooding and extreme weather, provide the necessary job training to strengthen our water utility workforce, rebuild our crumbling drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, and create jobs. I look forward to continuing our bipartisan work to move this bill through the full Senate.”

In 2016, Booker and Menendez successfully included several New Jersey priorities in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) authorization, including the Rahway River Basin Flood Risk Management, Hereford Inlet to Cape May Inlet, Hudson Raritan Estuary, and the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act.

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders invites residents and visitors of all ages to celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of National Trails Day at the Watchung Reservation on Saturday, June 2, with a volunteer trail restoration project in the morning followed by an afternoon of special programs and activities.

The trail restoration project will take place rain or shine from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Participants will be treated to a continental breakfast and learn how to repair a section of trail bed. The project also involves removing invasive plants.

“Walking the peaceful, rustic trails of the Watchung Reservation is a rare pleasure in today’s bustling world,” said Freeholder Chairman Sergio Granados. “Our volunteers work hard to keep the trails in shape for all to enjoy, and we truly appreciate their efforts.”

Trail work participants must be seven years of age or older and children must be accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration is required by contacting bkelly@uncj.org.

In the afternoon, Union County’s Trailside Nature & Science Center will offer a full slate of activities and programs for all ages, including four guided walks. Each walk has a different theme: sensory awareness, geocaching, leading a hike through blazed trails, and basics of birding.

This year marks the 50^th Anniversary of the National Trails System Act, signed into law by President Johnson on October 2, 1968.

For full schedule of National Trails Day activities and other programs at Trailside, call 908-789-3670 or visit online at ucnj.org/trailside.   

The Trailside Nature & Science Center is located in the Watchung Reservation in Mountainside, at 452 New Providence Road.

Quick links to more information about Trailside, Union County parks, and all of Union County’s environmental programs and activities are available at The Green Connection, ucnj.org/green-connection

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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 Sheriff Peter Corvelli announced today that the Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health, will offer training on traumatic events in the workplace, Peer-to-Peer Counseling, and mental health wellbeing for Officers and Supervisors.

The trainings, led by Princeton House professionals, are the first in their kind in New Jersey offered at a Sheriff’s Office. They are being offered free of charge, in conjunction with the PBA and are voluntary for rank-and-file members (approximately 200 Supervisors and Officers) of the Sheriff’s Office. The trainings are expected to begin in September (on-site at the County complex in Elizabeth), and last two months.

“Union County Supervisors and Officers are the first on scene at many tragic and violent incidents,” said Sheriff Corvelli. “They make decisions in split seconds under stressful conditions in order to protect the citizens and courts of Union County. By offering this training, we hope to help promote balance and enhance the wellbeing of those who protect and serve.”

The trainings, which are being led by Michael Bizzarro, Ph.D., Director of First Responder Treatment Services at Princeton House (and a former Police Officer and military veteran) and Ken Burkert, a retired Union County Corrections Officer who was the State PBA Vice President (and a Chairman of the Peer Assistance Response Team for the PBA), offer tools for officers to help manage stress and trauma of the job.

“The training is also designed to assist officers in identifying signs of stress in their peers. In a group of individuals who always run toward danger to protect others, there is often an inability to notice when troubling events have taken their toll. Our training can help officers detect problems before they become tragedies,” said Dr. Bizzarro.

Mike Heller, Union County Sheriff’s Officer and the Union delegate to the PBA, added:

“This program gives our Officers and Supervisors an important tool in dealing with the stress in their jobs,” said Heller, who is also a member of the Peer Assistance Response team for the PBA, which among its programs, provides a counseling component for its members. “The stress and trauma is a side of the job no one likes to talk about—and having this program which encourages them to talk and share their issues, will not only assist our men and women in their jobs, but in their daily lives and overall mental health.”

First Responder Treatment Services at Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health provides customized care for law enforcement officers, firefighters, military personnel, EMTs, and other first responders while they are in treatment at Princeton House, an inpatient hospital for those with mental health and substance use disorders. Princeton House intensive outpatient and partial hospital programs also feature trauma tracks for men and women in Princeton, Eatontown, Hamilton, Mooresetown and North Brunswick.