Category: Public Info

Union County, NJ – Union County Adopt-a-Park volunteers and Merck employees Jihong Yang, Jameson Bothe, Peter Zafian and Dan Xie (back row, l-r) and Jiafang He and Danielle Schultz (front row, l-r) take a well deserved break after repairing a storm-damaged section of trail in the Michael S. Bezega Wetland Observation Area of Rahway River Parkway, in Rahway. Merck volunteers have pitched in since 2003, when new berms, basins, and thousands of native plantings transformed a flood-prone neighborhood into a “green infrastructure” nature  conservation site. It is named for United States Army Staff Sgt. Michael S. Bezega, a lifelong Rahway resident who was killed in combat in Vietnam in 1970. Merck is one of many local companies that encourage employees to help preserve and beautify our County parks. For more information on Adopt-a-Park visit ucnj.org, call 908-789-3683, or emailbkelly@ucnj.org.

Photo Credit: Betty Ann Kelly/County of Union.

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WESTFIELD, NJ – In honor of Veterans Month, Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi reminds any honorably discharged veteran living in Union County that they can receive a free identification card at the County Clerk’s offices in Westfield and Elizabeth. The wallet-size photo ID card is honored as proof of service in the United States Armed Forces.

“We encourage all of our veterans to bring their original discharge papers to the County Clerk’s Office in either Westfield or Elizabeth and take advantage of this free program,” Rajoppi said. “This ID card service is just one way to say thank you and make veterans’ lives a little easier.”

The Veterans ID Card Act was signed into law in 2012. The card is available to veterans whose original Certificate of Honorable Discharge and/or DD-214 forms are recorded at the Union County Clerk’s office. It can assist veterans in receiving educational benefits, death benefits, licenses, local property tax rebates and discounts at big retailer box stores when presented with other identification.

If a veteran’s discharge papers have never been recorded, the original documents must be presented at either one the Union County Clerk’s offices. Documents will be recorded in the Union County Veterans’ Index, assigned a book and page number and the original documents will be returned to the veteran together with a free certified copy for their records. Photocopies of Honorable Discharge or DD-214 documents cannot be accepted for recording.

If the original discharge documents are lost, veterans can write to the National Personnel Records Center, Military Personnel Records, 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63138. Those who have already recorded their documents with the Union County Clerk can call her office at 908-659-7403 for additional information.

“Veterans can be assured that access to their discharge papers is available only to the veteran or immediate family with proof of relationship,” Rajoppi said. “Veterans’ documents are archived in a secure area and they are not accessible to the public.”

Further, for veterans interested in applying for a peddler’s license, which enables the veteran to peddle or vend merchandise in New Jersey, our offices in Elizabeth and Westfield can assist in the application process.

To apply for a veteran’s Peddler’s License, the veteran shall bring his or her Original DD-214 or Honorable Discharge Certificate to the Clerk’s Office and complete an application which must be signed before authorized personnel in the Clerk’s Office. The application will be transmitted to the State for approval. The veteran shall call the office within two weeks for the State’s determination. Then, upon approval, the photo identification card will be issued at the Clerk’s Office. Veterans shall then also contact the municipalities in which they wish to vend to see if there are additional municipal requirements.

The County Clerk’s Office in Westfield, located in the Colleen Fraser Building at 300 North Avenue East, is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday; and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. The County Clerk’s Office in Elizabeth, located in the Union County Courthouse at 2 Broad Street, Room 114, is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. If additional information is needed, please call 908-659-7403.

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The following message is presented on behalf of the Union County Commission on Human Relations, which is hosting a public information session on dealing with foreclosure as a property owner or tenant.

FORECLOSURE: Moving from FEAR to POSITIVE ACTION!

Tuesday, December 2, 2014,  6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

Church of the Assumption, 113 Chiego Place, Roselle Park.

If you or someone you can assist is worried about, facing or has lost their residence to FORECLOSURE, this FREE educational program will identify:

• positive actions that can be taken…
• options that are available, and…
• free resources that are offered…

…on a state and county level.

Join us to hear firsthand from key players who will answer your questions and give you  hands-on program information that you can put directly to use including funding, legal assistance, housing assistance, and mediation.

Presented by the Union County Human Relations Commission (UCHRC) and Union County Foreclosure Task Force

In cooperation with the New Jersey Public Defender’s Office of Dispute Settlement and the Union County Superior Court

You do NOT have to pre-register!

For more information, please call the UCHRC at 908.889.9028.

PLAINFIELD, NJ —The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders today announced a $784,490 grant award from North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority that will fully fund intersection improvements along West Seventh Street, one of the County’s busiest sections of roadway in Plainfield.

The three intersections slated for an overhaul include West Seventh Street at Grant, Plainfield and Central Avenues. Construction is expected to begin by the summer of 2015. The upgrades are aimed at improving driver and pedestrian safety, alleviating accidents, and improving traffic flow. The grant is part of the NJTPA’s local safety program.

Union County Freeholder Angel G. Estrada, who also serves as the second Vice Chairman of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, thanked the County’s Engineering Division for putting together the award-winning grant submission and noted the improvements are “much needed” to ensure a productive and safe flow of traffic in the westward Plainfield region of Union County.

“This roadway services important institutions such as the Muhlenberg Campus of the JFK Medical Center, the Plainfield Boys Club, numerous businesses, churches and residences,” Estrada said. “It’s a heavily traveled area with plenty of pedestrians and drivers that will benefit from these safety improvements.”

Assemblyman Gerald Green (D-22), who also supported and urged the improvements, agreed.

“Besides protecting our residents, this investment will also improve the flow of commerce and commuter traffic in an area that is economically important for jobs and health services,” Green said. “This is a win-win situation for Plainfield and Union County as a whole.”

Freeholder Linda Carter, a resident of Plainfield, joined Green and Estrada in hailing the news of funding for the project.

“Providing safer intersections has a positive effect that will also impact a number of  economic and quality of life factors,   as pedestrians will be able to get to work, visit their church, get home quicker or to the business they may be shopping or using,” Carter said. “

The improvements will include new traffic signal equipment consisting of 12” LED signals; vehicle image detection, traffic signal controllers and cabinets, battery back-up power, traffic signal poles and mast arms with mounted street name signs, LED pedestrian countdown signals and push buttons.

Also included will be new pavement markings, regulatory and warning signs, high visibility crosswalks, construction of ADA compliant handicapped ramps including detectable warning surfaces and NJDEP compliant storm water management upgrades.

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ELIZABETH, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to present an exhibit of photographs by Sheilia R. Lenga of Union 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 “Photos from South Africa by Sheilia R. Lenga” is on display at the Pearl Street Gallery through December 31. The public is invited to enjoy theexhibit during 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 exhibitions at the Pearl Street Gallery,” said Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, liaison to the Union County Cultural and Heritage Advisory Board. “We are pleased to display Ms. Lenga’s intriguing photographs.”

Sheilia R. Lenga has enjoyed photography since her childhood, chronicling events while growing up in an artistic family in Westport, Connecticut. She studied classical piano and won a scholarship to Juilliard School of Music in New York. Her artist father and her mother eventually moved to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Sheilia often visited them with her camera. After marriage and raising three children, she developed a love of jazz and joined the New Jersey Jazz Society. She has served on the Board for over 12 years and is Vice President of Publicity.

Ms. Lenga became involved with the Cranford Camera Club in New Jersey, and served as its president, eventually merging it with the Millburn Camera Club. She joined the Board of the Westfield Art Association and also was the founding President of the Contemporary Art Group (contemporaryartgroup.org). For 10 years she curated art exhibits at the Spanish Tavern Restaurant in Mountainside.

Sheilia has exhibited her work in many solo and multi-artist shows and galleries, including the Watchung Art Center, the Les Malamut Gallery in Union, the Arts Guild of Rahway, Overlook Hospital, NJ Workshop for the Arts, Salem Roadhouse Café, the Plainfield Arts Festival and many others. Her photographs are in private collections in Arizona, Mexico, Canada, Boston, St. Maarten, New York and New Jersey.

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.

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ELIZABETH, NJ – The Union County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee invites the public to attend a free memorial ceremony honoring Civil War veterans, entitled “Letters from the Front,” and view a new display of Civil War correspondence in the Civil War Exhibition at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth on Wednesday, November 12, beginning at 2:00 p.m.

“Union County is honored to have veterans and relatives of veterans participate in this special Civil War memorial event as we commemorate the 150^th anniversary of the 1861-65 conflict,” said Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi, chairman of the committee. “We welcome visitors to the Courthouse to learn more about the experiences of Union County residents during the Civil War through correspondence between members of the military and their families.”

Among the scheduled speakers on Nov. 12 will be Henry Bassman, commander of American Legion Lindsey-Street Post 322 in Summit; Berley Hanna Jr., past-commander of American Legion Post 499 in Rahway; Army veteran Vincent DeTrolio, former Union County Undersheriff; Navy veteran Lester Sargent, former Chief Warrant Officer in the Union County Sheriff’s Office; Janice Robner Black of Union and Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi, both of whom will read letters written by their relatives.

“Letters from the Front” will include Civil War soldiers’ correspondence from Chauncey Harris of Elizabeth, Edward C. Jones of Plainfield, Walter Morrel Bramhall of Rahway, John D. Hamilton of New Brunswick, Peter Vredenburgh Jr. of Monmouth County, and Alfred Atkins of Ulster County, New York. Music will be provided by Deborah Schnaph, Mel Freda and Mary Heller. Committee member Tom Plante will read a selection from the Civil War writings of poet Walt Whitman.

The memorial ceremony “Letters from the Front” will be presented in the Courtroom of the Hon. Karen M. Cassidy, Assignment Judge of the Superior Court, at 2:00 p.m. To reserve a seat for the lecture, please call 908-527-4999.

The Civil War Exhibition is on display until 2015 in the rotunda of the Union County Courthouse, 2 Broad Street in historic midtown Elizabeth. The exhibit may be viewed weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The displays will change from time to time. Anyone wishing to loan historical artifacts from the Civil War era for the exhibit can contact committee member Katherine Craig at 908-282-7617. All objects will be secured, locked and acknowledged.

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Union County, NJ – Model train fans of all ages can travel the rails of time at the annual 2014 Holiday Light and Sound Show and Open House at The Model Railroad Club in Union Township.  This year marks the 65th anniversary of the club, an all-volunteer non-profit organization partnered with the Union County Department of Parks and Community Renewal.

“This annual Union County holiday event offers a unique experience for the whole family,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak.

The holiday show features the club’s world famous 1,600 square-foot HO scale layout and a double-decked N scale layout.  Visitors can also view work in progress on a gigantic new HO scale addition, including an engine terminal and roundhouse from the era of the great steam locomotives.

Discount advance tickets are available now.  Tickets may be purchased from the ticket window at The Model Railroad Club building, located on Jefferson Avenue off Route 22 East in Union Township, New Jersey (behind The Home Depot).  The window is open from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays.  Advance tickets may also be purchased by mail or online through the club’s website, www.tmrci.org.

The discount advance prices are $7.00 for adults, $4.00 for children ages 3 through 15, and $5.00 for seniors age 60 and over.  Prices are higher at the door on the days of the show.  Children age two and younger are free.

The show schedule is:

Friday, November 28 from 12:00 noon to 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 29 from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 30 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Friday, December 5 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 6 from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 7 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Friday, December 12 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 14 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The Model Railroad Club was founded in 1949 as the Summit-New Providence HO Model Railroad Club.  The Club now occupies a building on Union County parkland that was designed, built and maintained entirely by its members, under a unique arrangement with the Union County Department of Parks and Community Renewal.  Free parking is available on site and the building is wheelchair accessible.

For more information, contact The Model Railroad Club at (908) 964-9724 on Saturdays between 1:00 and 5:00 pm, call (908) 964-8808 for a recorded message, or visit the Club’s website at www.tmrci.org.

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CRANFORD, NJ  – The Raritan Valley Rail Coalition (RVRC) held an Open House meeting in Cranford on Monday evening to inform commuters and residents about the campaign for an equitable number of ‘one seat’ trains (direct into NYC).

“We were very pleased with the turnout,” said RVRC Chairman and Somerset Country Freeholder Peter Palmer.  “We were even more pleased with NJ TRANSIT’s announcement that they will find the money somehow to institute after 8 pm ‘one seat’ service as of January 2015.  This brings us one step closer to the ultimate goal of ‘one seat’ service during peak hours.”

In an interview with Transportation Radio, RVRC Vice Chairman Tom Jardim said “We need to motivate and rally every single rider along the Raritan Valley Line and beyond. . . because it affects all of us in every community.  They need to start pushing legislators and NJ TRANSIT to give us a complete ‘one seat’ ride…it’s a matter of fairness and equity.”

Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr attended as the head of RVRC’s coalition of Mayors.  “It was wonderful to see so many people come out, even all the way from Hunterdon County. There were many excellent questions and comments, all with one common theme – that Raritan Valley riders want equity when it comes to service from NJT and that means scheduling ‘one seat’ ride trains during peak commuting hours.”

Many public officials attended the meeting to show support for ‘one seat’ service, including Assemblywoman Linda Stender, State Senator Tom Kean, Union County Freeholders Bette Jane Kowalski, Alexander Mirabella, Bruce Bergen and Linda Carter, Westfield Mayor Andy Skibitsky, Roselle Park Mayor Joseph Accardi, Cranford Mayor Andis Kalnins, Cranford Deputy Mayor Lisa Adubato, Roselle Park Councilman Carl Hokanson, Scotch Plains Councilman Llewellyn Jones, Fanwood Councilman Jack Molenaar, Westfield Councilmen Keith Loughlin and Mark LoGrippo,  Somerville Councilwoman Amanda O’Neill and Somerville Councilman Thompson Mitchell.

Questions:  Contact Mindy Scarlett 908-499-9298  or  info@raritanvalleyrail.com.

Union County, NJ – Wildlife experts are predicting that more frequent black bear sightings will occur in Union County and throughout New Jersey, so now is a good time to add to your store of information about these shy but powerful creatures.

Union County residents are invited to attend a free public talk on black bears hosted by Azure Masada Lodge #22 and conducted by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife on Monday, November 17, 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. Azure Masada Lodge #22 is located at 478 South Avenue East in Cranford.

“In the past, black bear sightings were not unusual in the western part of Union County, but in recent years they have wandered into some of our more densely populated areas,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak. “Wherever you live in Union County, it’s important for you to know how to avoid tempting bears into your neighborhood, and to know what to do if you see a bear.”

The public talk at Azure Masada Lodge will cover the natural history and biology of the black bear, practical information about coexisting with bears, and how to handle a bear encounter.

“The experts are here to help you clear your property of items that are attractive to bears, such as improperly stored garbage, and they will give you their recommendations for protecting yourself when you do see a bear.”

For more information about Azure Masada Lodge #22 and the black bear talk, visit 10thdistrictnj.org or contact John F. Dziedzic, W.M., 908-377-2376 or jdcz1@yahoo.com.

For more information on black bears in New Jersey visit the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife atstate.nj.us/dep/fgw/bearfactsm.

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WESTFIELD, NJ – For a limited time only, the Union County Clerk’s offices in Westfield and Elizabeth are offering free passport photographs as a special incentive for residents to apply for a passport or a passport renewal. From Monday, Nov. 10, through Saturday, Nov. 15, the normal $10 cost of each photograph will be waived when a resident applies for a new passport or a passport renewal.

“With winter vacations just around the corner, now is the time to make sure your passport is up-to-date,” said Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi. “My offices are helping travelers save on their vacation expenses by providing free photographs for those who apply for a passport while still providing a full range of passport services with no need for an appointment.”

“Some countries require passports to be valid for an additional three to six months after your visit,” Rajoppi added. “If your passport is due to expire within six months of your international travel, you should renew your passport to ensure a smoother journey.”

U.S. citizens must present a valid passport book when entering or re-entering the United States by air. U.S. citizens entering the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean islands and Bermuda at land borders and sea ports of entry must present a passport book, passport card, or other travel documents approved by the U.S. government.

“Our Elizabeth office opens at 7:30 a.m. and it has experienced, helpful, English and Spanish-speaking certified passport agents ready to assist you in any way we can,” Rajoppi said. “Our Westfield office, which opens at 8 a.m. weekdays, has convenient evening and Saturday hours and also is fully staffed.”

Information about the cost and how to apply for a passport book and/or passport card is available athttp://travel.state.gov. U.S. citizens may also obtain passport information by phone, in English and Spanish, by calling the National Passport Information Center toll-free at 1-877-487-2778.

Passport application forms may be obtained at the County Clerk’s main office in the Union County Courthouse at 2 Broad Street in Elizabeth or at the Colleen Fraser Building at 300 North Avenue East in Westfield. Applications for passports and related information also can be found online at:www.ucnj.org/Passports.

The Westfield office is the only County Clerk’s office in the state that is open during evening hours. It is open from 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday; from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; and on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The telephone number in Westfield is 908-654-9859.

The Elizabeth office is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The telephone number in Elizabeth is 908-527-4966. Clients are asked to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to closing time to allow for staff assistance with the passport process.

For more information about obtaining a U.S. passport, please call 908-527-4966.

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