Category: Public Info

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Union County, NJ – Members of the public have a unique opportunity to see the benefits of rain gardens, porous pavements and other examples of green infrastructure, by joining a half-day bus tour of sustainable landscaping at five sites in Summit, Springfield, Clark, Rahway and Mountainside.

The green infrastructure tour will take place on Tuesday July 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., conducted by experts from Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County and the Rahway River Watershed Association.

“The Freeholder Board is very proud to support the Extension’s efforts to encourage sustainable landscaping practices throughout our 21 municipalities,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “If you work with a municipal agency or belong to an environmental group, please take advantage of this unique learning opportunity.”

Landscapers, business owners and residents are also invited to attend.

The tour is designed to demonstrate the ways in which green infrastructure can help prevent excess runoff from storms and melting snow.

Green infrastructure can also cut maintenance costs while adding attractive features to a property.

The rain-or-shine tour will visit green infrastructure at schools, libraries, public works yards, and private homes. The examples include rain gardens that use special soil and native plantings to reduce excess stormwater, porous asphalt surfaces that enable excess rain and snowmelt to seep into the ground, and cisterns for rainwater harvesting.

“In addition to its bottom line benefits, green infrastructure helps to keep contaminants out of our rivers and streams,” said Bergen. “It’s a win for the property owner, and for our environment.”

The cost of the tour is $20.00 per person. The bus will leave from Union County’s Trailside Nature and Science Center, 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside, at 9:30 a.m. and return at 1:00 p.m. Free parking is located on site.

Participants can register online at tinyurl.com/raingardentour. Payment must be received by Thursday, July 14.

For more information about the green infrastructure tour contact Michele Bakacs, County Environmental Agent, at (732) 398-5274 or mbakacs@rutgers.edu.

The Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County is a program of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers University, supported in part by the Freeholder Board. To learn more about its programs and services visit online at ucnj.org/rce or call 908-654-9854.

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 – A big group of 13 volunteers from L’Oreal USA’s New Jersey headquarters pitched in with the Berkeley Heights Environmental Commission to do trail maintenance at Union County’s Passaic River Park in Berkley Heights last week. The effort was part of Union County’s Adopt-a-Park program. They did a fantastic job refreshing the trail with gravel and woodchips as well as freeing native plants of invasive vegetation. For information about joining Adopt-a-Park as an individual or as part of a business, school or community group, visit ucnj.org or call the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation at 908-789-3683. (photo: Rich Leister)

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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.

On Sunday, at the Juneteenth celebration at the Elizabeth Pier, we reflected and commemorated the ending of slavery in the United States. Music, food and dancing was all a part of this day. Elected officials and civic leaders came together in unity to celebrate this historical event.

The event was joined (left to right) by Assemblyman Jamel C. Holley, Gwen Carr (Eric Gardner mother), Assemblywoman Shelia Oliver, Congressman Donald Payne jr., Councilwoman Patricia Perkins-Auguste, Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, Vice Chairman Freeholder Vice Chairman Sergio Granados, Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, Union County Freeholder Linda Carter, David Brown, Assemblyman Jerry Green, Mayor of Jersey City Steven Fulop and Freeholder Vernell Wright.

Orchestra will kick off Union County’s Summer Arts Festival Series with program featuring movie selections, as well as works from Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Beethoven and Rossini

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ—The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders are pleased to announce the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra will kick off the 56th annual Summer Arts Festival Concert Series at Echo Lake Park in Mountainside on Friday June 24th at 7:30 p.m.

The Orchestra will perform musical selections from :Ghostbusters,” “Star Wars,” “The Godfather: Part III,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Moulin Rouge,”  and “Batman” as well as pieces from Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Beethoven, and Rossini.

The show is free, and visitors are urged to pack a picnic basket, bring lawn chairs or blankets. Refreshments and snacks will also be available from vendors. As with all festival concerts throughout the Summer, attendees can also participate in Union County Get Fit Yoga program beginning at 6:30 p.m. Bring a mat or beach towel and participate in the healthy activities for the entire family. In the event of rain, the concert (only) will be held on the same date and time at the Wilkins Theatre at Kean University in Union.

“The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra is one of the state’s cultural treasures and we are excited to feature them as our opening act for our Summer Arts Festival,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “We encourage our residents to enjoy the music under the stars, and a memorable night of classical entertainment.”

Named “a vital, artistically significant musical organization” by The Wall Street Journal, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO) embodies that vitality through its statewide presence and critically acclaimed performances, education partnerships and unparalleled access to music and the Orchestra’s superb musicians.

The NJSO presents classical, pops and family programs, as well as outdoor summer concerts and special events throughout the state. For more information about the NJSO, please go to http://www.njsymphony.org/

The other free concerts in the Union County Summer Arts Festival series are scheduled for Wednesday nights throughout July in Echo Lake and then in August at Oak Ridge Park in Clark:

Echo Lake Park, Mountainside

• June 24th New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
• July 6th Tusk – Tribute to Fleetwood Mac
• July 13th American Rapture
• July 20th Ed Palermo’s British Invasion/Beach Boys Tribute
• July 27th Pat Dinizio of The Smithereens – Confessions of a Rock Star

Oak Ridge Park, Clark

• August 3rd Black Dog – Tribute to Led Zeppelin
• August 10th Dead On Live – Grateful Dead Tribute Band
• August 17th Hey Bulldog – Music of The Beatles
• August 24th N.Y. State of Mind – Billy Joel Tribute

Union County Freeholders Vernell Wright, Bette Jane Kowalski and Alexander Mirabella congratulate Jason Cruz of the Cranford Fire Department on graduating from the Union County Fire Training Academy as part of the Fall 2015 Class and earning the Battalion Chief Ken Nocera Memorial Award for Outstanding Excellence in Firefighter 1 and the Ben Laganga Leadership Award during a graduation ceremony at Union County College in Cranford. They are joined by Cranford Fire Chief Daniel Czeh. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholders Vernell Wright, Bette Jane Kowalski and Alexander Mirabella congratulate Cassandra Kinney of the Mountainside Fire Department on graduating from the Union County Fire Training Academy as part of the Fall 2015 Class and earning the Chief Anthony Schepis Award for Excellence in Firefighter 1 during a graduation ceremony at Union County College in Cranford. They are joined by Mountainside Fire Deputy Chief Andrew Meeks. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Partnership with UCEDC Broadens Access to Working Capital for Women Entrepreneurs

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is proud to announce a partnership with UCEDC, a nonprofit economic development corporation, to offer women business owners in Union County access to zero-percent working capital financing.

The unprecedented interest elimination on loans up to $25,000 is made possible by grants from Investors Bank and the Tory Burch Foundation Capital Program, powered by Bank of America.

“We know that women-owned businesses contribute substantially to the County’s economy and have the potential to do even more,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “With UCEDC’s help, we’ve launched this program to give hard-working women entrepreneurs the boost they need to get their businesses to the next level.”

The loan program, offered exclusively to women-owned businesses in Union County, offers up to $25,000 at zero-percent interest for five years with no collateral requirements.  Eligible borrowers will have been in business for at least three years, be profitable in their latest tax return, and have a personal credit score of at least 680.

“Working capital is the lifeblood of small businesses and unfortunately, women-owned businesses often come up short,” said Freeholder Vice Chairman Sergio Granados. “With the elimination of all interest payments on this loan, we’re hoping that more women entrepreneurs will now have the cash they need to grow their business.”

Women borrowers who may not qualify for the zero-percent loan program have an attractive alternative, also made possible by the Freeholders and UCEDC.  Women-owned businesses are eligible for a two-percentage point discount on their interest rate for loans up to $50,000.  This program is available to start-up and established businesses.

“No matter what stage your business is in, even it’s still just an idea that you’re considering, we encourage you to contact UCEDC for more information about the unique financing options we’ve established to support small business growth,” said Chairman Bergen.

To learn more about UCEDC’s loan programs for small businesses, visit the website at www.ucedc.com or call 908-527-1166.

Union County Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen and Freeholders Bette Jane Kowalski and Vernell Wright joined Jewish Family Service of Central New Jersey Executive Director Tom Beck, Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) Project Manager Elie Bodner and RSVP Project Coordinator Nathalie Garcia in congratulating Joseph Yorey of Cranford during the Union County RSVP Volunteer recognition luncheon at Kean University in Union. Yorey was honored for volunteering the most time, 200 hours, the past year during. More than one hundred senior citizens were recognized for their service during the event.

Freeholder Vernell Wright, a cancer survivor, delivered this inspired speech in her hometown of Union Township to participants in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life fundraiser.

Letter sent to Mayors of all 21 towns to apply for 15-passenger vehicle to provide senior transportation

UNION COUNTY—-The Union County Freeholder Board today announced that letters have been sent out to all 21 Mayors of Union County inviting them to apply for a 15-seat passenger van provided by the County as part of Chairman Bruce H. Bergen’s “Seniors in Motion” initiative for 2016.

The initiative, which was last implemented in 2001, will provide municipalities that request it, with a passenger van (purchased by the County) for senior transport in the Fall. 

“Seniors are a growing segment of the Union County population and we remain committed to providing services to assist them,” said Freeholder Chairman Bergen. “They are an asset to our community as a whole and continue to shape our County in a positive way.”

Participating municipalities will keep the vehicle for its lifetime, and will be responsible for the provision of insurance, vehicle maintenance and provision of qualified drivers who hold a Commercial Drivers’ License (CDL). Some municipalities that participated in the 2001 initiative, had maintained their aging vehicles, and contacted the County about renewing the initiative this year.

Bergen declared 2016 as “the year of the Senior,” announcing the “Seniors in Motion” program and “Senior Focus” initiative, dedicated to improving and enhancing senior centers throughout the County.

Additionally, Union County’s existing Paratransit system will continue to provide rides, at minimal cost, for transportation to medical treatments and other related activities. The Paratransit fleet can accommodate those in wheelchairs and walkers and makes regularly scheduled trips to the Lyons VA Medical Center and the East Orange VA Medical Center.

Mayors wishing to participate in the “Seniors in Motion” initiative, should send a letter of interest by July 18th to:

For any questions, please contact the Office of the Director, Department of Human Services, at (908) 527-4808.