Category: Public Info

l. to r. Freeholder Chairman Linda Carter, and Freeholders Bette Jane Kowalski and Vernell Wright join Union County Vocational Technical Schools Superintendent Peter Capodice and Vo Tech Schools Business Administrator Sue Anne Marcello in holding up a blueprint for the planned expansion of the West Hall building at the Union County Vocational Technical Schools system in Scotch Plains. The 29,000 square foot, two-story expansion will add new classrooms, science labs, lockers and athletic facilities and will cost approximately $9 million. A groundbreaking is expected to occur soon. (Photo by Jim Lowney)

For youngsters who love pets, Union County 4-H clubs offer a fun opportunity to learn all about pet care while developing key life skills including teamwork and decision making. Openings are still available in the 3rd Grade Pet Club, 4th and 5th grade Variety Club, and the Dog Obedience Club for 3rd grade and up. For more details contact Union County 4-H Agent James Nichnadowicz at 908-654-9854 or nichnadowicz@njaes.rutgers.edu, or visit ucnj.org/rce. 4-H is a youth development program of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County, supported in part by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. (photo: Yukari* via flickr.com)

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Rutgers Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity program provider and employer. Contact your local Extension Office for information regarding special needs or accommodations. Contact the State Extension Director’s Office if you have concerns related to discrimination, 848-932-3584.

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

Union County, NJ — Marielle Anzelone, a contributing writer to the New York Times and the founder of New York City Wildflower week, will give a talk on “Native Flora in the Urban Landscape” at Union County’s Trailside Nature & Science Center, 452 New Providence Road, Mountainside, at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 16. Admission is $2.00.

The event is sponsored by the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Union County, a program of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County, supported in part by the Freeholder Board.

“The focus on native plants is an important one for Union County, so this promises to be a very interesting and informative discussion,” said Freeholder Chairman Linda Carter. “I encourage everyone with an interest in a healthy urban greenscape to attend.”

A graduate of Rutgers, Ms. Anzelone’s work with native plants has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, and The Huffington Post. Her current research includes the NYC Native Plant Conservation Initiative in partnership with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and NYC Department of Parks & Recreation.

Ms. Anzelone has also been instrumental in focusing New York City on planting native species in city parks and other public properties.

Non-native plants can overrun native species, creating a ripple effect that also has a negative impact on native animals, including birds, insects and aquatic species.

The Master Gardeners of Union County program encourages Union County residents to plant native species. They are drought hardy and low maintenance, requiring little or no yard care chemicals to thrive.

In addition to support of the Master Gardeners, the Freeholder Board is responsible for key urban greenscape programs including the care and replacement of thousands of trees in County parks and right-of-ways.

Other programs include shoreline restoration projects and the Rahway Rain Garden project, both of which involve native plantings. The County’s Adopt-a-Park program also includes native plantings and the removal of non-native species with the help of hundreds of volunteers.

The County’s long running Greening Union County initiative also provides matching grants to municipalities for planting trees along streets and in public areas. The County also participates regularly in Arbor Day activities.

Last month Union County participated in a giveaway of native dogwood and willow oak saplings in partnership with the New Jersey Tree Foundation, to help replace trees lost during Hurricane Sandy.

For more information about the Native Flora in the Urban Landscape event and all Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County programs, contact the Extension at 908- 654-9854 or visit ucnj.org/rce.

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Rutgers Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity program provider and employer. Contact your local Extension Office for information regarding special needs or accommodations. Contact the State Extension Director’s Office if you have concerns related to discrimination, 848-932-3584.

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

Register Now for Skating Lessons and Hockey Clinics

ROSELLE, NJ – The Warinanco Ice Skating Center, a facility owned and operated by the County of Union, is open for the 2013-14 skating season.

“This season marks the 52nd Anniversary of the Ice Skating Center,” said Freeholder Chairman Linda Carter. “Our staff in the Department of Parks and Community Renewal has worked very hard to get the center ready. I’m sure the public will be pleased.”

Skating sessions will be: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.; Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 12 noon; Fridays from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, plus 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (a family session during which children ages 17 and younger must be accompanied by an adult), and 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.; Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., plus 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., and 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.; and Sundays from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., plus 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., and 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. This schedule may be subject to change on holidays. Please call the Skating Center to find out if changes will be made, or visit www.ucnj.org/skating.

Admission to the general sessions is $6 for adults; $5 for children ages 17 and younger; and $5 for seniors (62 and older). Skate rental is an additional $4. Discount Cards are available for individual Union County residents who plan to skate on a regular basis.

Warinanco Ice Skating Center has more to offer in addition to the general skating sessions. The skating center also offers group and private skating lessons and hockey clinics. Other features include skate sharpening for $7 a pair and a refreshment stand.

Registration for Hockey Clinic and the Group Ice Skating Lessons must be made in person. Session One begins Saturday, Nov. 2, and runs through Saturday, Dec. 7.

Skating lessons meet once a week for 30 minutes. The first session is six weeks long. The fee for youths (17 and younger), tots and seniors (62+) is $105. The fee for adults (18 and older) is $116. Skate rentals are available at $4 at time of lesson.

Hockey Clinic meets once a week for one hour. The first session is six weeks. The fee for First Start (ages 4-6) and Youth (ages 7-12) is $135. Hockey equipment is required.

The Warinanco Ice Skating Center is located in Warinanco Park off Thompson Ave. at Seventh Ave. in Roselle. Park entrances also are located off St. Georges Ave. and Third Ave. For further information, visitwww.ucnj.org/skating; call (908) 298-7850 for a recorded message or (908) 527-4900 for the Union County Department of Parks and Community Renewal.

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Union County Freeholder Chairman Linda Carter (L) and Freeholder Sergio Granados (2nd L) joined Public Safety Director Andrew Moran (4th L), Union County Police Chief Daniel Vaniska (3rd R) and Union County Manager Alfred Faella (2nd R) while visiting members of Union County Police PBA Local 73 at the Habitat for Humanity project on West Seventh Street in Plainfield where members of PBA Local 73 volunteered and helped build houses that will go to a deserving member of the community. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

ELIZABETH, NJ – The Union County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee invites the public to hear a special lecture by Andrew Coldren, curator of the Civil War Museum of Philadelphia, entitled “A Matter of Honor: The Story of the Medal of Honor in the Civil War,” and view a new display about Union County Civil War Medal of Honor recipients in the Civil War Exhibition at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth on Friday, November 8, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

“Union County is honored to have Andrew Coldren speak here about the origin of the Medal of Honor during the Civil War as we commemorate the 150th 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 highest military honor presented to members of the U.S. armed forces and about the experiences of Union County residents during the Civil War.”

Andrew Coldren is responsible for the preservation, cataloging, research and documentation for the Civil War Museum of Philadelphia since 2005. A resident of Glassboro, New Jersey, he also is administrator/curator of the Salem County Historical Society. Mr. Coldren is a graduate of Temple University and earned Master’s degrees from Villanova University in American History and from Drexel University in Library and Information Science. In 2009, he managed the exhibit for the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Festival in Philadelphia and the collaborative exhibit, “Lincoln, Miami, and the American Dream,” with the Historical Society of Southern Florida.

The lecture by Andrew Coldren will be presented in the Courtroom of the Hon. Karen M. Cassidy, Assignment Judge of the Superior Court, at 1:30 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 Sheriff Ralph Froehlich (2nd left) congratulates the winners of the 3rd Annual Union County Sheriff’s Pistol Competition at the Union County Sheriff’s Firearms Training Facility in Springfield. Officer Vincenzo Wegrezynek (2nd R) of the Linden Police Department won 1st Place. Union County Sheriff’s Sergeant Carlo Caparruva (R) took 2nd Place. Union County Police Officer Dino Capra (L) took 3rd Place.

(From left) Union County Freeholder Bruce Bergen, Union County Sheriff Ralph Froehlich, Dr. Ralph Oriscello, a Vietnam Veteran and former Chief of Cardiology at the East Orange Veterans Medical Center, historian and former Sheriff’s Former Chief Warrant Officer Lester Sargent, Freeholder Alexander Mirabella, Freeholder Sergio Granados, Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi, Freeholder Vernell Wright and Richard Thompson from the Union County Office of Veterans Affairs unveil the Medal of Honor Memorial at the Union County Complex in Elizabeth. The permanent monument honors the military service of the ten Union County recipients of the Medal of Honor.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

WATCHUNG RESERVATION – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and Trailside Nature and Science Center are pleased to announce “Craft Day in the Barn” on Saturday, November 9, at the newly renovated historic Masker’s Barn, nestled in the woodsy Deserted Village in the Watchung Reservation. Two different workshops – one in the morning for adults only; the other in the afternoon for families – will offer participants a chance to get ready for the holidays and the spirit of the season by making their own crafts.

“These creative workshops are an ideal opportunity for making something from natural materials, in surroundings that inspire the participants,” said Freeholder Chairman Linda Carter. “Craft Day in the Barn is a nice way to welcome the holidays by sharing a creative experience with friends and family.”

The morning workshop for adults, 18 years and older, will take place from 10 a.m. to noon. The program for adults is $15 for Union County residents and $20 for out-of-county participants. Taught by Trailside naturalists, this workshop provides the materials and guidance to create a wreath, a swag and wall hangings made of natural materials. Light refreshments will be served. Bring a glue gun if you have one. Crafters will meet at the parking lot off Cataract Hollow Road in Berkeley Heights. Pre-registration is required as space is limited. Walk-ins will be accommodated as space permits.

The afternoon workshop for families will take place from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. This program is recommended for adults with children ages 5 and older. The fee is $10 per child for Union County residents and $12 per child for out-of-county participants, and includes the cost of materials. Pre-registration is required as supplies are limited. Adults must accompany children. Program participants should meet at the Deserted Village parking lot off Cataract Hollow Road in Berkeley Heights. Families will enjoy the scenery as a hay wagon shuttles them from the parking lot, past the old General Store and through Feltville to Masker’s Barn. Participants will then work on three different crafts before returning via hay wagon to their vehicles.

To pre-register for either workshop or for additional information about Craft Day in the Barn or other programs or upcoming events, stop at the Trailside Visitors Center from noon to 5:00 p.m. daily, call 908-789-3670, or visit www.ucnj.org/trailside. Trailside Nature and Science Center is located at 452 New Providence Road (at Coles Avenue) in Mountainside and is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

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Union County Freeholders Sergio Granados (2nd left),  Vice Chairman Christopher Hudak(5th left), and Bette Jane  Kowalski (3rd right) present a check for $4,000 to the members of the Linden Halloween Parade Committee including (from left): Gary Luciano, Mayor Richard J. Gerbounka, Tom Walker, Mike Holencsak, Carl Pereira, Audrey Pereira, Paul Curldy, Nancy Dziedzic, and Steve Zielinski. The parade will take place on Sunday, October 27th at 2:00 p.m. on Wood Avenue. (photo courtesy of the County of Union)