Category: Public Info

Union County, NJ – Deer-resistant perennials, herb and veggie seedlings, and potted annuals in full flower are just some of the offerings for sale at the 26^th annual Union County Spring Garden Fair and Plant Sale on Sunday May 17, 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. at the Demonstration Garden by the Trailside Nature and Science Center in the Watchung Reservation, in Mountainside. Admission is free, and free parking is available.

The Spring Garden Fair and Plant Sale is one of many civic services performed by the volunteer Master Gardeners of Union County. All proceeds from the sale help to fund Master Gardener community programs throughout the year, including a horticultural scholarship for local youth.

“Every year the Spring Garden Fair inspires hundreds of gardeners, and it’s a wonderful example of the difference that the Master Gardeners makes in the life of our Union County community,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “This is an exemplary group of volunteers and their efforts are deeply appreciated.”

The Spring Garden Fair features a wide variety of plants for sale including deer resistant, drought tolerant, fragrant, and many easy-to-grow plants for beginner gardeners.

Other popular offerings include heirloom varieties of tomatoes and tomato varieties for containers and small gardens, along with many other vegetables, several varieties of hot peppers, a large selection of herbs, hanging baskets, houseplants, and annual and perennial flowers.

In addition to selling plants, baked goods, garden crafts, and garden supplies, the Spring Garden Fair is packed with activities for gardeners, young and old:

• Guided tours of the Demonstration Garden complex including the vegetable and herb gardens.
• Displays and information for “Square Foot Gardening,” Rain Barrels, and Rain Gardens.
• Information on joining the Master Gardeners and the 4-H Master Tree Stewards.
• Free children’s activities, including face painting, making bird feeders, making grass seed heads and planting seeds.
• Free Garden Helpline clinic and Rutgers information fact sheets for gardening problems (attendees can bring plant and insect samples for diagnosis, and a Rutgers soil test kit is available for sale).
• Union County Division of Mosquito Control Supervisors available to answer questions

Free nearby parking is located at the Trailside Nature & Science Center parking lot and the Scout Camping Area. Both are accessible from the corner of New Providence Road and Coles Avenue in Mountainside. Additional free parking is available in the Loop playground area, located a short walk away on the other side of Trailside.

Visitors are advised to bring a small wagon to convey their purchases. Sorry – no pets are permitted at the Garden Fair.

The Master Gardeners, supported in part by the Freeholder Board, are trained and organized by the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) Cooperative Extension to assist in delivering horticulture programs and information to the general public.  Anyone with an interest in gardening and a commitment to volunteer service can become a Master Gardener. No previous education or training in horticulture is required. 

For more information on the Master Gardeners program, contact Judi Laganga at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Office located in the Colleen Frasier county services building, 300 Westfield at 908-654-9854, or visit online at mastergardeners-uc.org. More information about all Union County Extension programs is available at ucnj.org/rce. 

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Cooperating Agencies: Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and County Boards of Chosen Freeholders. The Rutgers Cooperative Extension, a unit of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, is an equal opportunity program provider and employer.

Please join the County of Union online at ucnj.org, on Facebook at ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter at twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Goal of program to stimulate public project of economic, transportation, social and governmental importance to local municipalities

ELIZABETH, UNION COUNTY, NJ—The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders today announced the creation of the Union County Infrastructure and Municipal Aid grant program, designed to stimulate the development of local projects of economic, social, transport and governmental importance to local municipalities.

The matching grant initiative will make available a total of $1.5 million to Union County’s 21 municipalities to achieve and will assist in expanding the ability of municipalities to accomplish tasks undertaken in calendar year 2015. The funding for the grant is provided through the proceeds from the sale of Runnells Specialized Hospital.

“Our overarching goal is to provide an economic boost to our municipalities in an area where State and Federal assistance has been lapsing,” said Freeholder Christopher Hudak. “At the same time, this will stimulate some job growth and provide an important public benefit in helping towns to build important development projects or address short-term or long-term governmental, social, transportation matters that require attention.”

The Infrastructure program was developed through the County Freeholder’s Fiscal Committee, which Hudak chaired, and included Freeholders Alexander Mirabella, Sergio Granados and Angel Estrada.

Some examples of projects eligible for this grant are: 

1. Downtown Development Projects
2. Economic Development Plans
3. Large and small scale construction projects
4. Community Enhancement projects
5. Master Plans/Feasibility Studies/Transportation Plans
6. Child Care/Senior Care Infrastructure Projects
7. Road Work, including pothole repair and structural enhancements

Each of the twenty-one municipalities may apply for one or more projects. Projects must be current initiatives, and all funding awarded must be expended by December 31, 2015. The application period will be limited to 30 days, commencing on April 16, 2015 and concluding on May 18, 2015.

Municipalities that are interested in applying for the grant should contact the office of Deputy County Manager William Reyes Jr. at 908-527-4200 to obtain the forms.

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Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders gathered to congratulate Amilcar “Mickey” Colon, on his swearing-in as Union County Undersheriff earlier this month. Undersheriff Colon is the first person of Latino heritage to achieve the position of Undersheriff in Union County (l-r, Freeholders Sergio Granados and Bette Jane Kowalski, Vice Chairman Bruce H. Bergen, Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh, Undersheriff Amilcar Colon, and Freeholders Alexander Mirabella, Angel G. Estrada, and Christopher Hudak).  Photo credit: Jim Lowney/County of Union.

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Union County Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh and Freeholder Vernell Wright joined Union County College President Dr. Margaret McMenamin, Union County College Board of Trustees Chair Victor Richel and Union County College Foundation Chair Mary Zimmerman in congratulating several of the students who received Freeholders Scholarships during the annual scholarship reception on the college’s Cranford campus. Nineteen students received Freeholders Scholarships. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

 (From left) Union County Freeholder Vice Chairman Bruce H. Bergen, Dr. Jonathan Lurie of Rutgers University, Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi, Civil War reenactor Matt Ryan of Kenilworth and Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan attended the Union County Civil War Sesquicentennial closing ceremony at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth.

Dr. Lurie presented a lecture entitled “The Ongoing Relevance of the Civil War: Ambiguity and Ambivalence.” Reenactor Matt Ryan, a student at the Union County Academy for Performing Arts, recited the poem “O Captain, My Captain” by Walt Whitman. County Clerk Rajoppi is the chairwoman of the Union County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee.

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Department of Parks and Recreation invite families with children of all ages and adults to celebrate wildlife and embrace environmental conservation at an exciting event at Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside on Sunday, April 26. 

The annual “Wild Earth Fest” will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. Admission is $4 per person; children 6 years and younger are free. Admission includes entrance to the “Touch A Truck” event being held concurrently in the Watchung Reservation lower loop parking lot.  No pets will be permitted to these events.

“The Wild Earth Fest event is an entertaining way for families to celebrate the Earth,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh, “People of all ages can learn to become eco-friendly and increase their awareness of wildlife conservation.”

Featured this year, Jennifer Pena of “Flight of the Raptor” will present the natural history of birds of prey.  Learn about their nesting habits, hunting adaptations and flight patterns.  LIVE raptors displayed may include a peregrine falcon, kestrel, owls and a Harris’s hawk. 

Join Cyril the Sorcerer as he tells the tale of monsters, magic and too much trash during his magical, interactive performance “Recycling is Magic” in the auditorium offered twice during the afternoon. 

Glenn “Wreckin Ball” Waldeck and daughter Holly will delight the audience on a musical journey that touches on an array of topics and encourages participation through singing, dancing and other antics. His songs have been heard on NBC, PBS, CNN and the Discovery Channel.

Back by popular demand, Vinnie Reo and his wolves from Wolf Visions, will dispel the myths of the “Big Bad Wolf” and explain their role in keeping a balanced ecosystem.  Guests can meet a snake or turtle from Trailside’s reptile collection throughout the afternoon.  Ongoing activities include Eco-Art for a nominal fee, free face-painting and Recycling Olympics.

Vendors and exhibitors include NJ Audubon Society, Newark Bait and Flycasting, NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, GAIA Wildlife Center, Save Barnegat Bay, Sierra Club, AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassador, US Department of Agriculture, NJ Forest Fire Service and much more. Refreshments and wildlife-related art and gifts will be available for purchase. 

Winners of the Environmental Hero Awards and the Wildlife Photography Contest will be honored at 2 p.m.

For more information about “Wild Earth Fest” or any other upcoming programs or events at Trailside, please call 908-789-3670 or visit www.ucnj.org/trailside. Trailside Nature and Science Center is located at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside and is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

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Artist residents of Union County who are 60 years of age or older are invited to participate and exhibit an original work of art in the Union County Senior Citizens Art Exhibit, which features artwork that has been completed within the last three years.  Sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, the exhibit is open to entrants who are either amateur/non-professional or professional in status.  Any person who meets at least two of the following criteria is considered professional: a) sold the type of art entered in the exhibition through commercial channels; b) exhibited in a professional gallery; c) held professional membership in a guild or association.

The annual Union County Senior Citizens Art Exhibit will be held at the Atrium of the Elizabethtown Gas Company, Liberty Hall Center, 1085 Morris Avenue, Union.  The exhibit will run from June 1 to July 13, with an artists’ reception scheduled for Wednesday June 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Following are the 10 categories of eligible work:

oil, acrylic, watercolor (includes gouache)

pastel (including chalk, charcoal and oil pastel)

prints and drawings (includes drawings with pencil, pen, ink, graphite, and prints such as etching, engraving, lithograph, woodcut, monoprint, monotype, silkscreen, etc.)

mixed media (combines two or more media, no one of which clearly predominates; includes collage and assemblage)

sculpture (designed in three dimensions, carved or constructed in any medium, abstract or figurative, painted or unpainted)

craft (one-of-a-kind creations only, no craft kits or molds)

digital/computer art (artwork generated or altered using computer graphics software)

photography.  Please note:  photos taken with a digital camera, digitally-altered photos, and images made using a scanner must be entered in the Photography category.

Three professional artists will judge the entries. Awards will go to first, second, third place and honorable mention winners in each category.  First place winners in all categories go on to compete in September at the New Jersey State Senior Citizens Art Show which will take place at the Meadow Lakes retirement community (www.meadowlakesonline.org) in East Windsor. 

Guidelines require that hanging artwork, crafts and photos must be no more than 36 inches and no less than 10 inches in any dimension (including matting and framing).  Sculpture or 3-D crafts may not exceed 20 inches in any dimension (measurements must include any base for the sculpture.  All works must be properly labeled and delivered “show-ready” with screw eyes and wiring ready for hanging.  Where necessary, pictures must be protected with glass, Plexiglas, Mylar or other clear material.  Plexiglas is strongly recommended on pieces over 24 inches.

For a copy of the application, call Nicole DeAugustine, Senior Art Show Coordinator, at the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, 908-558-2550, or email culturalinfo@ucnj.org.  Relay users dial 711.  Mail completed applications to 633 Pearl Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07202; or fax to: 908-558-2652 on or before Wednesday, May 20.

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The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders announces that its next two mobile paper-shredding programs for personal, confidential documents will be available on Wednesday, April 22 (Earth Day) at Warinanco Park in Roselle, and on Friday, April 24, at Cedar Brook Park in Plainfield.

“Union County’s mobile document-shredding service helps residents fight identity theft and eliminate clutter in their homes,” said Freeholder Christopher Hudak, liaison to the Solid Waste Advisory Council. “It is a cost-effective way to assist our recycling efforts and it ties in with Union County’s other Go Green Initiatives.”

The April 22^nd shredding event will take place at Warinanco Park in Roselle at the parking area by the Warinanco Ice Skating Rink. The April 25^th shredding event will take place at Cedar Brook Park, located off Park Avenue in Plainfield, near the border with South Plainfield. NEXCUT Shredding of Elizabeth will be shredding documents at the sites from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. The shredding events will end before 1 p.m. if the shredding truck reaches capacity.

All Union County residents are eligible to use the paper-shredding service. In an effort to accommodate everyone, there is a limit of four, 10-pound bags or boxes per person. Documents should not be bound. Please remove plastic binders and paperclips. Paper that is wet/damp will not be accepted. Residents should continue to recycle non-confidential papers and magazines with their municipal recycling program.

Documents are put into 96-gallon containers provided by the shredding company. The items are then dumped onto a conveyor belt and shredded on site. Participants are welcome to view the shredding process via a closed-circuit television. The shredded documents are then recycled, shipped to paper mills and used as pulp. The next shredding event will take place Saturday, May 9, at Alcatel/Lucent in New Providence.

The mobile shredding program is paid for through New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Recycling Enhancement Act Grant Funds. For more information about future events or directions please call the Recycling Hotline at 908-654-9889 or visit us online at www.ucnj.org/recycle .

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Union County, NJ – Women who own or manage businesses are invited to attend the third annual Union County Women Mean Business summit on Wednesday May 13, 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. at the Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth.

The full day of workshops covers critical topics for success in today’s business world including leadership and public speaking, networking via social media, and negotiating, topped off by special guest speaker Kristina Hahn, head of packaged consumer goods at Google.

“Union County is poised to gain from recent improvements in the national economy, and women represent an enormous pool of talent that can push the trend forward with job creation and career opportunities to benefit the entire community,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “The Freeholder Board is very proud to continue supporting this popular event.”

Union County Women Mean Business began as an initiative of Freeholder Linda Carter, when she chaired the Freeholder Board in 2013. The event is intended to help women in business access foundational skills and form strong networks across the business, government, and nonprofit sectors.

The event has proved to be a resounding success, with last year’s attendance topping 200.

Tickets are $40.00 per person in advance. The fee includes the full program, lunch, networking cocktail hour (cash bar), and prize opportunities including round trip air fare.

In addition to the Freeholder Board, the sponsors include ConnectOne Bank, Atlantic Health System, KemperSports, Southwest Airlines, Winning Strategies, and the firm Suplee, Cooney & Company.

To register online visit ucnj2.org/ucmb.

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Please join the County of Union online at ucnj.org, on Facebook at ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter at twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Free Passport Photos Are Available at Union County Clerk’s Offices in Westfield & Elizabeth for New Applicants & Renewals during Passport Week, April 13-18

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, April 13, through Saturday, April 18, the normal $10 cost of a passport photograph will be waived when a resident applies for a new passport or a passport renewal.

“With summer vacations rapidly approaching, 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.”

Travelers to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, countries in the Caribbean or anywhere overseas must have a valid passport to enter or depart from the United States. Due to a current backlog of applications at the National Passport Center, it can take six weeks for a regular passport application to be processed and returned to the customer. Even the more expensive expedited delivery option can take three weeks for delivery.

“Now is the time to make sure your passport is valid. Don’t wait until the last minute to get your passport,” Rajoppi said. “If your passport expires within six months of your planned visit, many countries will not permit you to enter. You will need to renew your passport.”

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 County Clerk’s office annex in the Colleen Fraser Building at 300 North Avenue East in Westfield. Applications for passports and related information also can be found online at https://ucnj.org/Passports.

“No appointment is necessary. Our Elizabeth office opens at 7:30 a.m. and it has experienced, helpful, English and Spanish-speaking staff ready to assist you in any way we can,” Rajoppi said. “Our Westfield office has convenient evening and Saturday hours and also is fully staffed.”

The Westfield Annex is the only County Clerk’s office in the state that is open during evening hours. The Westfield Annex is open from 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays; from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The phone number at the Westfield Annex is 908-654-9859.

The Elizabeth office is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The phone 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.