Category: Public Info

The Union County Baseball Association will honor local student athletes for their achievements in 2015 and induct five new members into the Union County Baseball Hall of Fame during award ceremonies on Sunday afternoon, February 21, in Clark.

The 80^th annual Hot Stove League Baseball Dinner on Feb. 21^st begins at 1:00 p.m. at the Gran Centurions banquet hall, 440 Madison Hill Road, Clark NJ 07066. The dinner is sponsored by the Union County Baseball Association, in cooperation with the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation.

Among the honorees at this year’s “Hot Stove” event will be student athletes from local high schools, including: P.J. Walker and Jahad Thomas, graduates of Elizabeth High School who are now teammates at Temple University; Jackie Lima, a graduate of Linden High School who led the Ramapo College Roadrunners to their first NJAC Tournament Championship; Kathleen Walsh, another Linden graduate, who was named to the All Union County First Team and now plays for Walsh University in Ohio; Gianna Randazza, a junior at Arthur L. Johnson Regional High School in Clark, who was named Union County Player of the Year with the Crusaders; and Zack Lipshitz, named Union County Hitter of the Year with the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Raiders, who now plays for Drew University.

During the afternoon awards ceremonies, the UCBA will induct five new members into the Union County Baseball Hall of Fame: Joe Alvarez of Elizabeth, Ray Crepeau of Linden, Wally “Sam” Engelhardt of Elizabeth, Bruce Henderson of Rahway, and Damien Kane of Roselle.

Sparky Lyle, the 1977 Cy Young Award winner and a two-time World Series champion relief pitcher for the New York Yankees, will be the special guest speaker. The celebrated southpaw will always be remembered for his clutch pitching for the Yankees and his book about those days in pinstripes, “The Bronx Zoo.” Sparky Lyle also was the original manager par excellence of the Somerset Patriots during the ballclub’s first 15 years in Bridgewater (1998-2012).

Tickets for the dinner are $50 each. Proceeds will help fund the Union County Summer Youth Baseball League for youngsters 8 to 15 years, and the Fall Wood Bat League for teens.

Since 1937, the Hot Stove League Dinner has been the primary fund-raising effort for the Union County Baseball Association’s summer and fall programs. Over the years, the awards dinner has honored many local and national baseball luminaries – including Phil Rizzuto of Hillside, Don Newcombe of Elizabeth, Joe Collins of Union, Jeff Torborg of Mountainside, Willie Wilson of Summit, and Elliott Maddox of Union.

Tickets for the 80th Annual Union County Baseball Association Hot Stove League Dinner on Feb. 21st are available from the UCBA by visiting www.UCBA-NJ.org or by mailing a check to the Union County Baseball Association, PO Box 176, Fanwood NJ 07023. For more information, please call Jim Iozzi at 908-917-2523.

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce that engineering design work is beginning for the reconstruction of two bridges and the replacement of two others, located in Linden, Mountainside, Rahway and Westfield. The awards represent a major step forward for the projects.

The work is part of “Move. Connect. Grow.,” Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen’s sweeping initiative to upgrade, improve and expand the transportation network in Union County for all forms of travel including motor vehicles, mass transit, cycling and walking.

“The benefits of the bridge improvements will ripple through our municipalities, to central New Jersey and beyond,” said Bergen. “I am looking forward to working with our state and federal partner agencies to secure additional funding so we can continue to move forward.”

The four bridge projects now beginning the design phase are:

• Elm Street Bridge, Westfield
• West Tracy Road Bridge, Mountainside
• Hussa Street Bridge, Linden
• Irving Street Bridge, Rahway

“Union County is responsible for 470 bridges and culverts, many of which provide critical transportation links both on a local and regional level,” said Bergen. “Maintaining and updating these crossings is a key responsibility that the Freeholder Board takes very seriously.”

To help fund the Elm Street Bridge project, Union County has received a grant of $750,000 from the NJDOT Local Aid Grant under the agency’s 2015-Local Bridges Future Needs Program. Located at the intersection of Orchard Street, the existing bridge was built in 1926. It is similar to a culvert and the work will involve addressing underground utilities. The entire bridge will be removed and replaced.

For the West Tracy Road project, Union County has received Local Aid Grant of $300,000 from NJDOT for construction work. The bridge was built in 1935. The superstructure is a reinforced concrete slab, which will be removed and replaced.

The Hussa Street Bridge was built in 1956. This project also involves removal and replacement of the superstructure, which consists of precast box beams. An NJDOT grant of $700,000 will be applied to construction.

The Irving Street project is particularly complex because of the historic nature of the bridge, which was built in 1900, and its location in a densely developed downtown district with adjacent buildings. Union County has applied for an NJDOT grant of $1 million for construction.

In addition to accelerating the County’s bridge reconstruction program, Chairman Bergen’s “Move. Connect. Grow.” initiative includes:

• Continuation of the Infrastructure Grant program, which provides Union County grants to municipalities for local projects, with a focus on road repaving.
• Completion of the Union County Transportation Master Plan, a key planning tool.
• Creation of new bike paths.
• Continued advocacy for regional transportation improvements, including expansion of “one-seat” rail service to New York City from Union County, and for the construction of the new Gateway Tunnel rail project.

For up-to-date information on road closures and other travel advisories related to County infrastructure road and bridge projects, visit the interactive Road Construction Update page at ucnj.org.

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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 Alexander Mirabella (R) presents a resolution to Nelson “Rocky” Carle (2nd L) of Roselle Park congratulating him on celebrating 50 years of active service with the Roselle Park Fire Department. Firefighter Carle was joined by his wife Lillian. Roselle Park Fire Chief Joseph Signorello also presented Carle with awards. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholders Linda Carter and Alexander Mirabella presented resolutions to members of Team Red from the Union County Student Training and Enrichment Program (UC STEP) congratulating them on winning the Civic Engagement Challenge of 2016 UC STEP.

UC STEP was created to provide high school students the opportunity to develop a countywide community service around a topic they feel is important, while teaching them leadership and personal growth skills and responsibility within their communities.

A total of 195 sophomores and junior high school students from 27 high schools throughout Union County participated in the annual program, which took place in December 2015 at Kean University in Union.

Team Red’s campaign “Garments & Gear – Greatness for Years” won the Civic Engagement Challenge and will be the county-wide community service project undertaken by participating Union County high schools in 2016.

“Garments & Gear – Greatness for Years” will focus on giving less fortunate athletes equipment needed to excel in sports. By collecting items and fundraising to purchase additional supplies, the goal of this program is to give under-privileged athletes the opportunity to play a sport by providing the necessary gear.

Team Red consisted of 15 students from 12 high schools; Anandah Gomez (Barack Obama High School), Erin Readie (Cranford High School), Lindsay Lathrop (David Brearley High School), Ja’Quan Mial (John E. Dwyer Academy), Brendon Joseph Birch (Linden High School), Jasmin Finney-Tillman (Linden High School), Hannah Caminiti (New Providence High School), Jake Canavan (Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School), Taylor Diggs (Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School), Ian MacPherson (Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School), Sheydline Moise (St. Mary’s High School), Shawn Ferreira (UC Vo-Tech High School), Hannah Criollo (Union High School), Marissa Berriios (Roselle Catholic), Jacob Franklin Fopossi Nyemdom (Plainfield High School)

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

With an oncoming storm expected to blanket the area this weekend, the Board of Chosen Freeholders reminds residents that five Union County parks are designated for sledding:

“We urge all our residents who wish to sled to follow these guidelines and have a safe enjoyable time in our County Parks,” Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen said.

To avoid tree hazards, sledders in Union County parks are strongly advised to avoid sledding devices that cannot be steered. Downhill skiing is strictly prohibited in all County parks, but cross-country skiing is permitted in the following parks:

Skating on natural waterways in County parks is contingent on the availability of at least four inches of clear ice as measured by Parks officials in accordance with widely accepted safety standards. No waterways have met that standard so far this winter.

For a complete list of activities in Union County parks visit https://ucnj.org/parks-activities/

by Joseph Cryan

Last year was a year of change for the Union County Sheriff’s Office, as I was sworn in to my first full three year term. We had a year of progress, with arrests up almost forty percent, the automation of our time and attendance systems, a full scale training exercise for Response to an Active Shooter at the Courthouse Complex, the addition of report management automation and GPS positioning in our cars and the start of implementation of body worn cameras. We also welcomed over 1.2 million unique visitors to the Courthouse Complex without incident or complaint, transported over fifteen thousand prisoners with no incidents, and initiated a new commitment to training for our officers and clerical personnel.

In addition to training our officers, we have significantly advanced the physical security of the Courthouse Complex through improved security screening processes and a new camera and monitoring system. Our ability to see and monitor all areas within the courthouse complex has been dramatically upgraded, providing additional security for all concerned. Also, in this past year we developed a new website (ucnj.org/sheriff), developed the “Union County Sheriff’s Office” mobile app that is available for free download in both the Apple Store and the Play Store for Android devices, and established a Facebook presence (Sheriff Joe Cryan). We welcome you to follow us, and we certainly solicit your input. 

A source of pride for our office is our employees’ commitment to excellence and professionalism in their employment here at the Sheriff’s Office, and their commitment as private citizens to the communities they live in and serve. Our Sheriff’s personnel are your neighbors, and share the same values all folks do. They are coaches of Little League baseball, softball, soccer, basketball and football for our youth, and Big Brothers and Big Sisters here in Union County; they are troop leaders of Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Brownies, and Girl Scouts. Our personnel are members of numerous First Aid Squads, Volunteer Fire Departments and Junior ROTC. They are school Class Mothers, PTA members, they volunteer for beach clean ups, volunteer with the Community Food Bank in Hillside, rescue dogs, volunteer at animal shelters, and participate with The Center for Hope and Hospice.

More than half of our employees contribute regularly to a variety of charities. Last year alone, they donated more than 100 pints of blood. The people I’m proud to lead are members of civic organizations such as the Elks, the Knights of Columbus, VFW, American Legion, and many more. They come to work as professionals each day, perform random acts of kindness more often than I can list, and every day make Union County and their communities a better place to live.

2016 will provide more challenges for us, as each work day does. Building on our foundation of success, I’m confident we are ready to meet what may lie ahead.

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For more information about the Union County Sheriff and 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.

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Weather forecasters are warning residents of the possibility for a massive storm this weekend. It is predicted the storm could dump enough snow on the Garden State to disrupt vital travel and functions.  Dangerous driving/traveling conditions may lay ahead – low visibility, slippery/icy roads, frigid temperatures, high wind, and snow accumulation. In addition to driving hazards, a winter storm also brings with it the possibility of unintentional poisoning exposures. 

“Major storms like the one that may hit us this weekend are known to result in illness and even deaths from hypothermia, exposures to chemical used in de-icing and prevention of freezing, and the potential for carbon monoxide poisoning.” said Steven Marcus, MD, medical and executive director of the NJ Poison Center. “Exposures to carbon monoxide often happen when people attempt to heat their homes using improperly vented space heaters and stoves or other sources of heat inside.    The use of generators that run on gasoline, propane, or natural gas without proper ventilation has produced tragedies during past storms. The danger occurs when too much carbon monoxide gets trapped inside an area that is poorly ventilated.” 

Since high winds can result in power outages, the poison experts encourage all residents to program the Poison Help Line (800-222-1222) into all phones (home, cell, and office) in preparation. If power is lost it may be lost for an extensive period of time and your cell phone may become your lifeline!  “Remember, the experts are hard at work weathering the storm alongside you, responding to calls for help, 24/7/365,” said Dr. Marcus. Poison experts can be reached in the following ways: call 800-222-1222, chat via www.njpies.org, or text 8002221222@njpies.org; the hearing impaired may also use their TTY and call 973-926-8008.

Being prepared is half the battle when dealing with severe weather. Through education, the NJ Poison Experts hope to increase awareness about the potential dangers residents may face during such events. Although unintentional poisonings can cause serious injury and even death, they are preventable.

Below you will find key safety tips that may potentially save your life or the life of a loved one.

Safety Tips to Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning:

• Check the batteries in your carbon monoxide detector and smoke detector. If you don’t have either detector, install them now, before the storm hits.
• Clear any snow accumulation from all outside dryer and heating vents.
• Remove snow from car exhaust pipe(s) before sitting in car and letting it warm up. Failure to remove snow can result in carbon monoxide poisoning. Be sure there is ample room for air to circulate in front and behind your car to allow any exhaust to dissipate and not build up around your car.
• Do not bring a portable gas powered generator into the home or garage –
  • Do not place them outside near any open windows/doors
  • They should be at least 25 feet from any house
  • Use only weather certified electrical cords outdoors
• Do not bring other gas powered equipment, propane stoves, propane lights, or kerosene camping stoves into the house or garage.
• Do not heat your home with your stove.
• DO not cook with or use charcoal grills to heat indoors or inside your house or garage.
• DO NOT idle a car in a closed garage. Once you pull in, immediately turn off the engine.
• Keep your home well ventilated. If need be, keep a window slightly cracked to allow air flow.
• During storm cleanup, keep all gas powered cleaning equipment outside away from the house when in use. Bringing and using them indoors could result in serious injury.
• Never siphon gasoline from your car by sucking on a tubing.
• Do not start your snow blower inside your home or garage. 

If you suspect Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, Take Immediate Action:  

1. If a loved one is unconscious or unresponsive, get out them out of the house and call 911 immediately.
2. Exit the house/building immediately. Do not waste time opening windows to “air” it out; this will delay your escape and cause you to breathe in more dangerous fumes.
3. Contact your local fire department/energy provider.
4. Call the NJ Poison Experts, 800-222-1222, for immediate treatment advice. Do not waste time looking for information on the internet about carbon monoxide poisoning. Call us for fast, free and accurate information.

General Safety Tips:

• Have a flashlight with fresh batteries ready to use (you may have used the flashlight during previous storms so, replace the batteries if you did).
  • Make sure to use a flashlight when giving or taking medication. Read all labels carefully and put on your glasses to insure proper ability to read the directions.
• Have a battery-operated radio available and be sure the batteries are fresh.
• Keep cell phones charged as much as possible. Be sure to have the appropriate charger to use in your car should you house’s power fail and you have access to a car.
• Keep rock salt locked up and out of sight and reach of children and pets.
• Risk for hypothermia increases with frigid temperatures. Infants, children, and the elderly are at greatest risk for hypothermia.
  • Signs and symptoms include headaches, sleepiness, fatigue, confusion and irritability, nausea, vomiting, irregular heartbeat, impaired vision and coordination, and death
  • Stay warm and dress appropriately! For prolonged exposure to cold, wear insulated or layered clothing that does not retain moisture.  Wear a head cover!
  • Avoid over-exertion and excessive sweating in the cold. Snow shoveling is a very intense exercise.  If you are not in top physical shape, don’t attempt it yourself.
  • Warm beverages can help increase the body temperature.
  • Avoid drinking alcohol, especially in cold temperatures.
  • Some medications may increase your risk. Check with your doctor, pharmacist or call the Poison Control Center

Safety Tips to Prevent Food Spoilage during a Power Outage:

• With the threat of power outages, it is important to be careful about food stored in refrigerators and freezers. Food-borne illness, also known as food poisoning, results from the eating of food that is contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses or other foreign material. Contamination is caused by improper food handling and preparation practices. The symptoms of food-borne illness are flu-like and may include abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and fever.
• In preparing for a power outage, make the temperature colder than usual on both freezers and refrigerators.  This will prolong the cold after a power outage.
• During a power outage, keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed and open them only when necessary.
• Place a refrigerator thermometer in the center of the middle shelf and check the temperature. If it has risen to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, discard any potentially spoiled foods. Such foods include meat, poultry, fish, dairy and egg products, soft cheese, cooked beans, cooked rice, cooked potatoes, cooked pasta, potato salad, custard and pudding.
• Fill freezers to capacity, but not refrigerators. Refrigerators need room for the air to circulate to properly chill the stored food.
• When power is restored, allow time for the refrigerator to reach below 40 degrees Fahrenheit before restocking.
• If it looks funny, smells funny or if you are just unsure, “When in doubt, throw it out!”

In the event of an exposure, don’t waste valuable time looking up information on the Internet when every minute counts. If someone is unconscious, not breathing, seizing/convulsing, bleeding profusely, difficult to arouse/wake up, etc. call 911 immediately, otherwise call the NJ Poison Experts at (1-800-222-1222).

Time is of the essence in many situations since poisons and medicines may act very quickly. Having a poison expert give you exact instructions for your specific situation can help significantly during those critical first few minutes.

Help is Just a Phone Call Away!

Union County Freeholder Vice Chairman Sergio Granados and Freeholder Vernell Wright presented a resolution to Ken and Charlotte Brown of United Youth of New Jersey (UYNJ) in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day before the theater company’s production of MLK: THE NIGHTMARE AFTER THE DREAM at the Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway. They were joined by County Manager Alfred Faella.

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholder Vice Chairman Sergio Granados and Freeholders Christopher Hudak, Vernell Wright, Bette Jane Kowalski and Linda Carter presented a check from the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders to the 2016 Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade General Chairwoman Kerry Ricci and Grand Marshal Frank McGovern during the parade committee’s Celebrity Bartenders fundraiser at the Kenilworth Veterans Center. The 2016 Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade steps off at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 12 on Morris Avenue in Union.

For more information please visit www.unioncountystpatricksdayparade.com.

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholder Vice Chairman Sergio Granados and Freeholders Christopher Hudak and Vernell Wright joined State Senator Raymond Lesniak in congratulating the Union County Police Department’s newest officers and recently promoted officers during a ceremony January 15 in Rahway. They were joined by Rahway Mayor Samson Steinman, Union County Manager Alfred Faella, Union Public Safety Director Andrew Moran and Union County Police OIC Chris Debbie. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)