Category: Public Info

Union County Freeholders Alexander Mirabella, Vernell Wright, Sergio Granados, Christopher Hudak and Bette Jane Kowalski read to children at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Springfield on March 2 during the Union County Education Association’s annual Read Across America event. Read Across America is a reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading in honor of the birthday of children’s author Dr. Seuss. (Photos by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

ROSELLE, NJ-The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation will host a special skating event this coming Saturday, March 7, at the Warinanco Park Skating Center in Roselle, New Jersey.

“Lace Up Your Skates” will provide an opportunity for people with disabilities and their friends and families to enjoy time together on the ice. The program will run from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. An $8.00 registration fee will be charged for each participant. The fee includes skate rental. There will be Skate Guards on duty throughout the event. Skate Walkers and Sleds.

“The ice skating program at the Warinanco Skating Center is one of many activities offered by Union County for people living with disabilities,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “Besides being a great source of exercise, ice skating at Warinanco is a lot of fun for people of all ages.”

For more information on “Lace Up Your Skates”, or for more information about recreation programs for people with disabilities, please contact Manuel Ramirez at 908-527-4781 or email: mramirez@ucnj.org.

The Warinanco Ice Skating Center is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholder and is located near the Thompson Avenue entrance to Warinanco Park in Roselle. For more information about activities at the Ice Skating Center, call 908-298-7850 for a recorded seasonal message. For other information, contact the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation at 908-527-4900 or visit the website: www.ucnj.org.

Snow has begun to blanket Union County, and will ultimately become a wintry mix later on tonight that could cause hazardous travel conditions. The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders remind you to take the necessary precaution and take it slow if you need to travel. 
 
Report any issues on municipal roads to the respective municipality. If there are any issues on County roads, please call County Police at 908-654-9800.  
 
Also, to report downed power lines or outages, contact your utility company. PSE&G customers call 1-800-436-7734. JCP&L customers call 1-800-545-7738 or use the automated reporting line at 1-888-544-4877.  
 
For questions about your gas service, call Elizabethtown Gas at 800-492-4009.  
 
Please tell your friends and neighbors about First Alert, and stay informed by visiting the Union County Webpage at www.ucnj.org. Also find us on Facebook and Twitter.  
 
Brought to you by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

Union County Freeholder Chairman Mohamed Jalloh (2^nd R) and Freeholders Bruce Bergen (L) and Alexander Mirabella (R) present a resolution to Union County Vocational-Technical Schools Superintendent Peter Capodice, Future Farmers of America (FFA) advisor and horticulture instructor Bonnie Baldasare, FFA member Aaron Etnine and FFA president Margaret Hopkins designating the last week of February 2015 as Future Farmers of America Week in Union County. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

(From left) Union County Freeholders Vernell Wright and Christopher Hudak and Freeholder Chairman Mohamed Jalloh present resolutions to the 2015 Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade Grand Marshal Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin, General Chairman Tony Brennan and Adjutant Kathleen Holmes congratulating them on the 19th annual parade. The 2015 Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade steps off at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 14 on Morris Avenue in Union. For more information please visit www.unioncountystpatricksdayparade.com. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholder Chairman Mohamed Jalloh (3^rd R) and Freeholders Bruce Bergen (3^rd L) and Alexander Mirabella (R) present a resolution to Union County Vocational-Technical Schools Superintendent Peter Capodice (2^nd R) and UCVTS students designating February 2015 as National Career and Technical Education Month in Union County. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce that the County has received a total of $4,498,918 in new federal grants for homeless housing and service programs, covering 28 programs and initiatives.

The new funds represent a significant part of $1.8 billion in total funding made available nationwide and in Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

“Given the brutal winters we’re experiencing, it is more important than ever to ensure that everyone in Union County has a safe place to call home,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “These funds will go a long way toward fulfilling that goal.”

The new grants come under the HUD “Continuum of Care” program, which is designed to help reduce chronic homelessness and to prevent individuals and families in need from living in unsafe conditions.

The funding goes only to existing programs that have been proven to work, and to innovative new programs that show exceptional promise. In New Jersey, only Essex and Hudson counties were awarded more funds than Union County.

“This is a competitive grant program, so the large size of the Union County award is a good testament to the dedication and professionalism of our grant applicants,” said Jalloh. “In particular, I would like to thank Union County Human Services Director Frank Guzzo and his staff for their work in obtaining these new funds.”

The Department of Human Services will administer the new HUD funding for transitional and permanent housing services sponsored by Bridgeway Rehabilitation Services, Community Access Unlimited, Community Access Institute, Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless, Homefirst, Volunteers of America, Gateway YMCA, Covenant House and YWCA of Eastern Union County. 

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ—The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and the Department of Parks and Recreation are pleased to invite the public to a free program on Sunday, March 8, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Trailside Nature and Science Center.

The featured presenter, Jim Silk, a lithic specialist, will lecture and demonstrate flint-knapping and stone tool making techniques, accompanied by a discussion relating to the cultural and historical significance of their technologies. For over 20 years Jim, a published author on the subject, has researched stone tool making methodologies, demonstrated, instructed, and participated in reconstructive archaeology.

“We are pleased to welcome this noted author and expert on flint-knapping and stone tool making techniques to the list of educational programs available to the public at Trailside Nature and Science Center,” said Union County Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh.

The presentation will be approximately 90 minutes, followed by refreshments.  Adults and families with children 12 years of age and older are welcome to attend.

The Trailside Nature and Science Center is located at 452 New Providence Road, in Mountainside, NJ. For further information call: Joan Hoeckele at 908-232-2831.

Union County – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is proud to announce its first Union County Advancing Community Theater (UCACT) grant program award recipient, Mystic Vision Players of Linden. The grant has been awarded for their March, 2015 production of DREAMGIRLS.

“We are proud to see UCACT off to such a great start, and happy to give such talented people the opportunity to bring their craft to the Mainstage,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed Jalloh.

Mystic Vision Players, created in 1992,  is the resident theatre company of the Linden Cultural & Heritage Committee and has consistently received critical & audience acclaim and nominations as “Outstanding” in areas of Choreography, Acting, Music, and Overall Productions by the NJ Association of Community Theaters.

DREAMGIRLS, a groundbreaking musical, loosely based on the career of The Supremes, is set to run at the UCPAC’s Mainstage, March 6,7,13 and 14^th at 8:00 p.m. and March 8^th and 15^th at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 with discounted rates for students and seniors, and are available via UCPAC.org.  

Through UCACT, the Board of Chosen Freeholders plans on sponsoring and promoting five or more Union County theatre events at the Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC). The program, which grants funding to cover the hard costs associated with putting up at production at the Arts Center, builds on the recent success of RENT- a pilot of this program that was initiated in November through a partnership with the UCPAC that sold over 2000 tickets.

2015 grant applications are still being accepted and can be downloaded at ucnj.org/ucact.  For additional information, please contact Victoria Durbin Drake, Chief of Staff, Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, at 908-558-2278.