Category: Public Info

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Department of Parks and Recreation are pleased to announce the 2014 Wildlife Photography Contest at Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside. Amateur photographers, ages 6 through adult, are invited to enter their original photographs of wild animals in their natural habitat.

Individuals may enter a maximum of two photographs, but only images of wildlife species native to the United States are eligible for submission. Images of exotic wildlife, pets or domestic animals will not be considered. Entries must be un-matted, unframed, 5” x 7” black and white or color prints. Entries must be received or postmarked no later than Friday, April 11.

“Wild animals are challenging photographic subjects and the Wildlife Photography Contest is a great opportunity for people of all ages to put their skills to the test and attempt to capture animals in their natural habitat,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak.

Photographs entered into the Wildlife Photography Contest will be judged by local, professional photographers. Prizes will be awarded in each of three age groups: 6 to 11 years, 12 to 17, and 18 and older, based on originality, composition, technical excellence and artistic merit.

Winners will be announced on Sunday, April 27, during Trailside’s Wild Earth Fest. All photographs will be displayed at Trailside’s Visitor Center through May 23.

The winners of last year’s Wildlife Photography Contest included Warren Lynaugh of Kenilworth in the 6-11 year-old category for his photo of a northern flicker; Jessica Lieder of Union in the 12-17 year-old category for her Cooper’s hawk photo; and Barbara Frankenfield of Hillsborough in the 18 and older category for her photo of a red fox kit.

To obtain a brochure with the complete rules and an entry form for the Wildlife Photography Contest, call Trailside at 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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Union County, NJ – Cold weather or not, spring is officially here and the planting season is not far behind. Experts and volunteer Master Gardeners from the Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) of Union County are ready to help with all your questions about growing successful home, community, and school gardens. Pictured here, Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski (l) sampled some of the free materials available to teachers with Dr. Karen Ensle, RCE Department Head (c) and Corey Wu-Jung, Northern NJ Coordinator of the Grow Healthy Project (r), during last month’s Community Gardening Conference in Mountainside.  For more information visit RCE online at ucnj.org/rce, call the RCE Master Gardeners at 908-654-9852 or call Agricultural Agent Madeline DiNardo at 908-654-9854 (press “4”). RCE is supported in part by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. (photo credit: County of Union, NJ)

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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.

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders announces the first mobile paper-shredding program of 2014 for personal, confidential documents will be available on Saturday, April 5, at Union County Vo-Tech in Scotch Plains.

“Union County’s mobile document-shredding service helps residents fight identity theft and eliminate clutter in their homes,” said Freeholder Chairman 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 5th shredding event will take place at the Union County Vocational-Technical Schools campus located at 1776 Raritan Road in Scotch Plains. NEXCUT Shredding of Elizabeth will be shredding documents at the site from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. The shredding event 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 Friday, April 25, at Cedar Brook Park in Plainfield.

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 atwww.ucnj.org/recycle .

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Union County, NJ – Cold weather or not, spring is officially here and the planting season is not far behind. Experts and volunteer Master Gardeners from the Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) of Union County are ready to help with all your questions about growing successful home, community, and school gardens. Pictured here, Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski (l) sampled some of the free materials available to teachers with Dr. Karen Ensle, RCE Department Head (c) and Corey Wu-Jung, Northern NJ Coordinator of the Grow Healthy Project (r), during last month’s Community Gardening Conference in Mountainside.  For more information visit RCE online at ucnj.org/rce, call the RCE Master Gardeners at 908-654-9852 or call Agricultural Agent Madeline DiNardo at 908-654-9854 (press “4”). RCE is supported in part by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. (photo credit: County of Union, NJ)

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

(From left) Union County Freeholders Bette Jane Kowalski and Vernell Wright joined Dr. Sandra Moss, Tom Plante and Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi at the latest event hosted by the Union County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee. Dr. Moss, Past-President and Program Chair of the Medical History Society of New Jersey, delivered a lecture entitled “Women Healers in the Civil War” at the First Presbyterian Church in Elizabeth. Tom Plante, a published poet, read poetry by Walt Whitman who served as a nurse in the Civil War. County Clerk Rajoppi serves as the Chairwoman of the Union County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee.

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County, NJ – Union County commuters and other stakeholders will get a chance to learn firsthand about their travel options during the upcoming Pulaski Skyway closure at a public meeting hosted by the New Jersey State Department of Transportation (DOT). The meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 2, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., at the Kean University STEM Building, opposite the main campus at 1000 Morris Avenue. Free parking is available at the rear of the building.

“I encourage all members of the commuting public to attend this meeting, so you can contribute your questions, insights and concerns as DOT prepares for the closure,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak.

DOT will close both of the northbound lanes on the Pulaski Skyway for two years starting on Saturday, April 12. The closure is needed in order to perform rehabilitation work on the 80-year-old structure.

The Skyway is not located within Union County but the closure is expected to impact traffic patterns throughout the region, including Interstate 78, Route 1&9, and Route 22.

“The Freeholder Board asked DOT to conduct a public meeting in Union County because the impact of the closure will go beyond the Skyway to affect many other commuters who travel in and through Union County,” said Freeholder Sergio Granados, who is liaison to the Union County Transportation Advisory Board.

For more details about the Skyway closure, including rail, bus, vanpooling, and carpooling options, visit DOT online at pulaskiskyway.com.

Convenient links to all regional transit are also available on the Union County website at ConneXions,ucnj.org/connect.

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

Union County Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak speaks with nurse educators from the Community Health Department at Overlook Medical Center during an Atlantic Health System stroke screening event at the YMCA in Union.

As part of his initiatives for 2014, Chairman Hudak formed a partnership with Atlantic Health System with the goal of increasing health awareness countywide.

The Overlook Medical Center Community Health Department provides people with information to make appropriate health care choices and offers programs, support groups and screenings. For more information, visit www.atlantichealth.org/overlook/our+services/community+health/ or call 1-800-247-9580.

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Anna Kapustyan (l.), a Professor of History at Kremenchuk State University in central Ukraine, attended a Union County Freeholder Board meeting while on a recent visit to New Jersey. Professor Kapustyan was presented with a copy of a February 6 Freeholder Resolution sponsored by Freeholder Angel G. Estrada (r.), in support of human rights protests in Ukraine. Professor Kapustyan, who is a parliamentary representative for her home town, is active in political and environmental issues in Ukraine.

Full text of Resolution 2014-101:

WHEREAS, the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders wishes to express its support for the people of Ukraine to protest peacefully while seeking for President Viktor Yanukovych to rescind the country’s restrictions of free speech and human freedoms; and

WHEREAS, on November 21, 2013, Kyiv suddenly announced the suspension of trade and association talks with the European Union after years of careful negotiations, and opts for reviving economic ties with Moscow; and

WHEREAS, over 100,000 Ukrainians have rallied in Kyiv against suspending talks with the European Union, marking the largest protest in Ukraine in almost a decade; and

WHEREAS, the Ukrainian police resorted to force by firing tear gas at demonstrators, arresting thousands, and killing four protestors; and

WHEREAS, after the use of force, over 350,000 Ukrainians came together at Independence Square to protest against President Yanukovich and his government for encouraging deadly violence against the citizens of Ukraine; and

WHEREAS, despite massive opposition, President Yanukovich has held talks with the leader of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Putin, on strategic partnerships between both countries.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Chosen Freeholders of the County of Union hereby expresses its support for the human rights of the Ukrainian people and their support for strengthened relations with the West.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution, suitably prepared, be presented to Sonia Owchariw, as well as the Ukrainian people. Signed and Sealed: February 6, 2014.

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KENILWORTH, NJ – Special Olympics New Jersey is looking for anyone who might be interested in becoming a Special Olympics athlete, coach or volunteer. An information session, hosted by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Department of Parks and Recreation, will be held on Monday, April 7, at Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

“Beginning this year, Union County is partnering with the state chapter of the Special Olympics national organization to bring developmental, recreational and team sports to Union County for children living with disabilities,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak. “We welcome Special Olympics New Jersey to our wonderful facility at Galloping Hill Golf Course and invite the public to learn more about this great opportunity.”

The information session on April 7 will outline a number of Olympic-style sports that will be organized in the program. There also will be information about year-round training and competition, developmental sports and school programs.

“We hope to attract parents and athletes of all ages to this initial information session,” said Freeholder Sergio Granados. “In addition, we invite our local special education supervisors and school superintendents, municipal recreation leaders, and organizations that work with special needs individuals, to learn how they can get involved in changing lives through sports.”

Galloping Hill Golf Course, located at 3 Golf Drive (off the Boulevard) in Kenilworth, is a facility of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. For more information about the Special Olympics information session, please call Manny Ramirez at 908-527-4781.

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(From left) Union County Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak speaks with New Jersey Senator Raymond Lesniak, Kean University President Dawood Farahi and U.S. Congressman Albio Sires at the kickoff of the third season of the Union County Means Business Networking Breakfast series entitled “Outlook 2014; Legislative Update” at Kean University in Union. The second annual Union County Women Mean Business summit will take place on Wednesday, May 28 at Galloping Hill Clubhouse 3 Golf Drive in Kenilworth. For more information about the series, visit www.ucnj2.org/ucmb. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)