Category: Public Info

Union County, NJ – If you can take a series of guided visits to nearby nature preserves, then you have what it takes to join the Master Tree Stewards of Union County. Members of this all-volunteer organization spend the fall season learning about the critical role that trees play in our environment, and each spring they share their knowledge with hundreds of fourth grade students throughout the County.

“Urban and suburban trees are proven to provide many benefits. They reduce airborne pollutants, prevent storm runoff, and help keep neighborhoods cool in the summer,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed Jalloh. “If you are looking for a volunteer opportunity that gets you in touch with nature and children while helping to improve our Union County environment, the Master Tree Stewards is the place for you.”

Studies have also linked urban trees to improved public health and safety as well as economic growth.

The Master Tree Stewards is a free program run by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County, and supported in part by the Freeholder Board. The Extension offices are located in the Colleen Frasier County Services building in Westfield, at 300 North Avenue East.

No previous experience with trees or teaching is necessary.

To become a certified Master Tree Steward, prospective members partake in a series of guided visits to nature preserves starting in September. They learn how to communicate with children about the role that trees play in the environment, and how to plant and care for trees.

After completing the training program, the newly minted Master Tree Stewards receive a teaching kit and supplies, and they visit fourth grade classrooms to present fun-and-games lessons about trees.

Master Tree Stewards can also engage in other tree-related community service projects throughout the year.

To receive an application and more details, contact Extension Agent James Nichnadowicz at 908-654-9854 or nichnadowicz@ucnj.org. Don’t delay – training starts on September 9.

For more information about the Master Tree Stewards, 4-H Clubs, and other Extension programs for all ages, visit online at ucnj.org/rce.

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Union County Freeholder Vice Chairman Bruce H. Bergen presents a resolution to Aaron and Laura Cohen of Garwood recognizing them for their dedication and hard work in raising funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and congratulating them on being named the Walk MS 2015 Ambassadors by the New Jersey Metro Chapter. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable and often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Laura and Aaron, who has been living with MS for many years, and their dedicated team have raised $633,000 over 15 years for the National MS Society through Walk MS. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union

to r. Union County Freeholder Sergio Granados, liaison to the Workforce Investment Board, Union County Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh, also a liaison to the Workforce Investment Board, join with Whole Foods Market executives,  Rahana Gittens, Executive Director of Team Member Services for Whole Foods Market, and Scott Skonieczny, Associate Director, Team Member Services, Whole Foods Market, in welcoming a group of applicants for the new Whole Foods Market scheduled to open in Clark later this Summer.

The photo was taken at Union County’s Workforce Innovation Center at the Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth.  The Workforce Innovation Center is funded in part through the County of Union.

As part of his initiatives for 2015, Chairman Jalloh announced an expansion of the Workforce Innovation Center to provide jobs and placements, programs assisting entrepreneurs, small business owners and more. Whole Foods has committed to hiring for 150-200 positions at its store in Clark, and other regional markets it has.

(Photo by James Lowney, Office of Public Information)

ELIZABETH, NJ- – Tickets are now available for Mandela: Apartheid to Die For to be presented Saturday, July 25^th at 2:00 p.m. at the Union County Performing Arts Center’s Mainstage in Rahway.

The exclusive performance at the Arts Center is presented by United Youth of New Jersey (UYNJ)- a non-profit youth organization based in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in partnership with the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, through the Union County Advancing Community Theater program (UCACT).

The second performance in the UCACT 2015 season, Mandela is an original work, written and produced by Charlotte and Kenny Brown, founders of UYNJ. The play tells the story of Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa who became known and respected all over the world as a symbol of the struggle against apartheid and all forms of racism.

Tickets are priced at $10 and can be purchased online at ucpac.org or through the UCPAC Box Office at 732-499-8226.

The mission of the United Youth of New Jersey Corporation is to provide a living-learning environment that encourages academic and personal development for a diverse community, while addressing the whole family with well-maintained facilities, to continue to be an afterschool learning center for at-risk youth and provide them with the motivation and tools needed to succeed in school and in life.

UCACT grants funding to cover the hard costs associated with putting up at production at the Union County Performing Arts Center. Through creative partnership and a holistic approach, the program creates a successful business model for Community Theater, allowing them to provide quality performances while also thriving financially.

For more information on UCACT, please contact Victoria Durbin Drake, Chief of Staff, Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, at 908-558-2278 or visit ucnj.org/ucact.

Union County Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh, Vice Chairman Bruce H. Bergen and Freeholders Christopher Hudak, Linda Carter and Vernell Wright joined Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan marching in the annual Central Jersey Fourth of July Parade in Plainfield. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan thanks Florence Duggan of Westfield for the donation of pet oxygen masks to the K9 Search and Rescue Unit from the Sussex Hills Kennel Club. The officers from the K9 unit are (from left) Officer Ryan Wilson, Sgt. Brian Howarth with K9 Devante, Officer Timothy O’Grady, Detective Anthony Gialanella and Officer Bryan Frew.

The K-9 Search and Rescue Unit’s assignments include searching buildings, locating missing persons, detecting narcotics, detecting explosives/explosive devices and specialized patrol functions. The services of this unit are requested by law enforcement agencies throughout Union County, and sometimes beyond the county limits. They also respond to calls which include providing assistance to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Drug Enforcement Agency, New Jersey State Police, U.S. Customs, U.S. Postal Police and the U.S. Secret Service.

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholders Christopher Hudak and Sergio Granados attended Opening Day for the 70th season of Union County Youth League Baseball at Warinanco Park in Roselle. Boys and girls 8-15 years old from throughout Union County participate in the league. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce a call for visual artists to participate in the County’s first Art Outside The Box public art project.

Art Outside The Box is a new countywide creative placemaking project created to support Union County visual artists by offering a nontraditional exhibition opportunity that broadens and diversifies public exposure to art murals.

“Art Outside The Box is an innovative public art project that seeks to engage residents and visitors by integrating visual art with public spaces in our communities,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “The Freeholder Board is proud to provide opportunities that celebrate creativity, enhance community identity, and encourage cultural tourism.”

This call for entries is open to all 2D visual artists (painters, photographers, printmakers, graphic and computer/digital artists) residing in or working in Union County. Artists are invited to submit up to four different designs for project consideration. The deadline for entry is August 1, 2015.

The theme for this submission of Art Outside The Box entries is diversity. Artists should submit work that is uplifting, colorful, and appropriate for people of all ages.  There is no fee required to participate.

Offered as part of Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh’s Building A Community of the Arts initiative, a total of nine original artworks will be selected to cover traffic control boxes in Elizabeth, Linden, and Rahway, NJ. Each artwork will be reproduced on a special vinyl adhesive film and professionally applied to the exterior of the pre-selected traffic control boxes. 

Funded by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Art Outside The Box project will provide a $200 honorarium for each artist whose work is selected.  Details about the project, including entry form, traffic control box locations, reference samples, and artist agreement are available online at www.ucnj.org/artoutsidethebox.

Deadline for entry is August 1, 2015.

Entries will be juried and selected for the program based on artistic excellence, technical merit, the ability to complement the setting and how well it translates into large-scale viewing.

For further details about how to participate, please call the Union County Department of Cultural Heritage at (908) 558-2550 or visit our website at:  ucnj.org/artoutsidethebox.

Union County, NJ – Each year, dozens of Union County students in grades one through 12 join a Union County 4-H club to explore their favorite interests and activities. This year a select group of seven 4-H’ers from Union County qualified to demonstrate their knowledge of cryptology, the U.S. Constitution, and other topics at the statewide 4-H Public Presentation Contest held at Rutgers University in June.

Competing among a statewide field more than 150 students divided into groups, Union County 4-H’er Adrian Lam was awarded the “Best in Room” honor for his speech entitled “Journey to the East.”

“On behalf of the Freeholder Board, I’d like to commend Adrian and all of our Union County 4-H contestants on a job well done,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohammed Jalloh. “Participating in this statewide event gives students the opportunity to pursue their passions and is testament to their hard work and commitment.”

4-H is a long running national youth development program. It originated in efforts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to connect rural youth with up-to-date farming practices and community health information, through a nationwide network of county-based Extension offices.

In its modern iteration, 4-H clubs offer young people the chance to develop expertise in a wide range of topics while gaining experience in public speaking, organization, team building and other essential skills. Union County 4-H clubs include horticulture, history, archery, Lego robotics, cooking, pet care and much more.

The 4-H schedule runs concurrently with the school year. Each spring the students can provide a formal presentation of their project before a live audience. The presenters who earn a score of “Excellent” are invited to participate in the statewide contest each June.

The seven Union County contestants in the statewide event were:

• Adrian Lam of Westfield, Journey to the East (Best in Room award)
•  Vivek Sreenivasan of Westfield, Cryptography: The Language of Secrets
• Kyle Grant of Union, President Barack Obama’s Morehouse Commencement Speech
• Jada Peterson of Rahway, how to make chocolate chip brownies.
• Isaac Oluwaku of Union, the Bill of Rights.
• Ken Adibe of Hillside, music foreshadowing
• Camille Herbert of Plainfield, gardening

For more information about Union County 4-H contact 4-H Agent James Nichnadowicz at 908-654-9854 or Nichnadowicz@njaes.rutgers.edu, or visit ucnj.org/rce.

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Union County Mosquito Control will be spraying for adult mosquitoes tonight between 7:30pm and 11:30pm. The spraying will be predicated on the weather conditions; rain and high winds will cancel the operation. The areas to be sprayed are as follows:

• Berkeley Heights– Bristol Ct. and the B.H. D.P.W. yard, Bolton Blvd.
• Clark– Conger Way, Colonial Rd., Francis Dr., Back lot of St. Agnes church area
• Cranford-Dartmouth Rd. , Park St., Maryland & Fairfield Ave.
• Elizabeth– Clarkson Ave., Peterstown area, Trumble St.
• Fanwood– Fanwood Place
• Hillside– Harvard ave., Cornell Ave., Aldine St., Westminster area
• Kenilworth– Dorsett Dr., Water Company Rd.
• Linden– Tremeley Pt. area, Bradford Ave., Lexington Ave., Marion Ave., Miner Terrace
• Mountainside– Watchung Reservation, Fitness Trail off Mountain Ave.
• New Providence– Gails Dr. ( Manor Care), Grove St.
• Plainfield– First St., Abbond Ct., Reeves Terrace, Wiley Ave., Cushing Rd., Knollwood Ave., Kenyon Rd., Woodland Ave., Stelle Ave., Madison Pl.
• Rahway– Leesville Ave., Main St., Central Ave., New Church St., Church St., River Rd., Elizabeth Ave., Scott Ave., Whittier St., Donald Ave.
• Roselle– Chestnut St., Columbus Ave. (Athletic Field), Westbrook Woods Condos, Roselle golf course area (Raritan Rd.)
• Scotch Plains– Algonquin Dr. area, Frank St., Tempe Ct., Pheasant La., area behind R.W.J. on Lambertsmill Rd.,
• Springfield– Layng Terrace, Diven St.
• Summit– Kent Pl. Blvd, Stockton Rd. area, Ascot Way area
• Union– Gifford Ct., Brighton St. Akzo Nobel Morris Ave., Fairway Dr., Caldwell Ave., Vauxhall Rd. 2000 Block area, 1075 Dawes Ave.
• Westfield – Livingston St., Windsor Ave., Marcellus Ave., Norwood Dr.
• Winfield– Union County Parkway
• Union/Kenilworth – Galloping Hill Golf Course
• Municipal Parks– Linden Memorial Pk., Roselle Sylvester Pk., Westfield Mindowskin Pk and Tamaques Pk., Union Biertempful and Rabkin Pk.,
• County Parks– Clark Oakridge Pk., Elizabeth Mantano Pk., Cranford Nomahegan Pk. Lenape Pk., Mountainside Echo Lake Pk., Plainfield Joe Black Pk. Cedar Brook Pk.,  Mountainside Watchung Reservation and Loop Area, Rahway Rahway Park, Roselle Warinanco Pk., Hillside Conant Pk.,