Category: Public Info

The Union County Freeholders recently announced the award of $10,000 from Kids Recreation monies through the Union County Open Space Trust fund to Scotch Plains.  The funds will be used in part to put new picnic tables throughout the entire Scotch Plains parks system.

l. to r. Freeholder Chairman Linda Carter, Scotch Plains Councilman Lou Beckerman, and Freeholder Alexander Mirabella. ( photo Jim Lowney, County of Union)

Union County Freeholder Bruce Bergen (R) presents a resolution to B’nai B’rith officials proclaiming Saturday, November 9, 2013 as B’nai B’rith Day in the County of Union to mark the 170th anniversary of B’nai B’rith International. Pictured (from left) are Ken Devos, Regional Treasurer and Treasurer of BBNJ Alumni, Marvin Bram, Regional VP and VP of Springfield B’nai B’rith, Joe Tenenbaum, Regional VP and President of Springfield B’nai B’rith and Mark Samuel Ross, Esq., President of  Tri-State Region (North/Central NJ Eastern PA and Southern NY State) and President of  BBNJ Alumni. B’nai B’rith is the oldest service organization founded in the United States and has an unparalleled record of aiding humanity in communities throughout the United States and more than 50 other nations (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Offices in Westfield & Elizabeth Offer ‘Vote-By-Mail’ Service

ELIZABETH, NJ – Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi reminds registered voters that sample ballots for the General Election on Tuesday, November 5, may be reviewed on-line by visiting the County Clerk’s website. The Clerk’s offices in Westfield and Elizabeth also offer a one-stop Vote-By-Mail service.

The names of candidates running in the General Election for Governor, State Senators, General Assembly Members, County Sheriff, County Freeholders, Municipal Officers and local School Boards in the Nov. 5 General Election are posted at https://ucnj.org/sample-ballots. Also listed are the two statewide Public Questions.

“As a former school board member, Mayor and Freeholder myself, I know the importance of an informed electorate,” Ms. Rajoppi said. “My website is designed to help voters familiarize themselves with the local candidates in all 21 Union County municipalities before Election Day.”

Eligible voters are able to apply for a Vote-By-Mail ballot for the General Election in person, receive their ballot and cast the ballot at the same time at the County Clerk’s offices in Westfield and Elizabeth.

“This one-stop voting service is available at my Westfield office as well as at the main office in Elizabeth,” Ms. Rajoppi said. “The service in Westfield and Elizabeth makes voting more accessible, particularly at the Westfield office with its convenient Saturday office hours and evening hours during the week. With the important November 5th General Election approaching quickly, my office is working to make the voting process as fast and convenient as we can for everyone who is registered to vote.”

A mailed application for a Vote-By-Mail ballot for the General Election must be received by Oct. 29th to be eligible. The deadline to apply in-person is Monday, Nov. 4th before 3:00 p.m.

The Westfield Annex of the County Clerk is located at 300 North Avenue East, Westfield 07090. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays; 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; and 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

The Main Office of the County Clerk is located at the Union County Courthouse, 2 Broad Street, Room 113, Elizabeth, NJ 07207. Regular office hours in Elizabeth are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Elizabeth office also will be open on Saturday, Nov. 2, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Vote-By-Mail is an easy, secure process that has replaced the Absentee Ballot. Voters do not need to give a reason why they wish to Vote-By-Mail. To obtain an application form, voters also may pick up the form at their local municipal building; or they can download the form at the Union County Clerk’s website:www.ucnj.org/vote-by-mail. The Clerk’s website also includes a video that explains how to fill out the Vote-By-Mail application form.

More information about Vote-By-Mail or sample ballots for the General Election can be obtained by calling the County Clerk’s Office at 908-527-4996; by visiting the office at 2 Broad Street, Room 113, in Elizabeth; or by email: ucvote@ucnj.org .

-end-

Fanwood elected officials, recreation commissioners and Union County Freeholders celebrated the ribbon cutting of a parcourse fitness trail around the perimeter of Forest Road Park. The improvement, which provides for various forms of exercise, was funded in part through $50,000 in Kids Recreation monies from the Union County Open Space Trust Fund program.

l. to r. Fanwood Council members Russell Huegel, Anthony Parenti (back row), Kevin Boris and daughter, Emma, Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr, Fanwood Recreation Commissioner Anthony Carter (back row), Union County Freeholder Chairman Linda Carter, Freeholder Alexander Mirabella (also a resident of Fanwood),  Fanwood Recreation Commissioners Tom Smith, Joanna Budries and Mike Kelly.  (photo by Jim Lowney, County of Union)

Freeholder Angel G. Estrada, (left), a longtime advocate for urban forestry, helped to give away 200 free willow oak and flowering dogwood saplings earlier this month. Receiving a willow oak is County resident Alan Hauser. The trees were donated by the New Jersey Tree Foundation in partnership with the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the New York/New Jersey Super Bowl XLVIII Host Committee, and the US Forest Service as part of a five-county effort to replace trees destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. (Photo: County of Union/Betty Ann Kelly).

##

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 Linda Carter and Freeholder Alexander Mirabella (R) presented a $88,000 Kids’ Recreation Trust Fund check to Roselle Mayor Jamel Holley (2nd R) and Roselle Recreation Director Donald Shaw.

Union County Freeholder Vice Chairman Christopher Hudak (L) joined Freeholders Bette Jane Kowalski and Mohamed Jalloh (R) in presenting a resolution to Michael Seaman of Linden congratulating him on being named the Union County Teacher of the Year for 2013-2014. Seaman is an eighth grade teacher at the Orange Avenue School in Cranford. He was chosen teacher of the year by a countywide panel of administrators, teachers, parents and county education association representatives convened by the executive county superintendents of schools.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County, NJ – Ten lucky homeowners in Rahway are having a portion of their yards transformed into customized, professionally designed rain gardens free of charge, as part of a comprehensive plan to reduce street flooding and improve water quality in the Robinson’s Branch Watershed in Rahway.

Rain gardens are specially constructed beds that use particular kinds of soil to help excess stormwater seep into the ground, rather than running off from lawns, driveways, or roof drains.

“The Rahway Rain Garden project is a wonderful demonstration of how individual actions can add up to achieve big benefits,” said Union County Freeholder Chairman Linda Carter. “Rain gardens help to improve water resources, with the added benefit of contributing attractive features to local streetscapes.”

In addition to flood mitigation, rain gardens provide natural filtration that helps prevent urban runoff from adding pollutants to local waterways.

Because they are typically planted with native perennials, rain gardens also help to reduce the cost of yard maintenance. Compared to lawns, which require constant care during the growing season, the typical rain garden thrives with no fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides, or water other than rainwater or snowmelt.

The Rahway Rain Garden Project is a program of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County, the Rutgers Water Resources Program, and the City of Rahway, with funding from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County is supported in part by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

Participants were enlisted in for the project last spring. The program was limited to Rahway residences within the Robinson’s Branch watershed. The homes selected for the project are on Garden Street, Midwood Drive, Central Avenue., Elm Terrace, Briarcliffe Drive, and Keller Place.

As part of an effort to raise public awareness about the benefits of rain gardens, the participants agreed to permit images of their rain gardens to be posted on the Rutgers website. They will also have educational signs posted at their gardens.

The gardens were designed under the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program by Tobiah Horton, an Extension Specialist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at Rutgers University, and Richard Alomar, also an Assistant Professor in Landscape Architecture at Rutgers.

Union County residents who would like to know more about rain gardens can contact Rutgers Cooperative Extension Environmental Agent Michele Bakacs at 732-398-5274, or visit the Union County website at ucnj.org/rce.

For general gardening questions in Union County contact the free Garden Helpline, a Rutgers Extension service run by volunteer members of the Master Gardeners of Union County with support from the Freeholder Board, at 908-654-9852 or mastergardeners@ucnj.org.

##

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.

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders announces “A Guided Walk on the Geology Trail” for adults, ages 18 and older, on Saturday, November 2, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. as part of Trailside Nature and Science Center’s annual Rock, Gem and Mineral Show. The program is free, but donations are welcomed.

“This is a perfect chance to enjoy the outdoors and learn about the geological formations that are an ever present feature of the Watchung Reservation,” said Freeholder Chairman Linda Carter.

Geology comes alive on this informative, enjoyable and historic walk along the Ruth Canstein Yablonsky Geology Trail. Volcanoes, glaciers and continental drift will be discussed on the trail, along with the history and formation of the Watchung Mountains. Ruth Yablonsky was recently honored with the naming of the trail after the veteran naturalist. Be part of this inaugural walk as Yablonsky reveals lava flows still visible on the surface of the mountains and boulders pushed from the northwest corner of the state, all along a half-mile walk through the woods.

For additional information about this program or other adult programs or upcoming events at Trailside, 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.

– end –

Union County Freeholder Vernell Wright (R) presents resolutions to representatives of nine organizations commending them for their support and commitment as volunteer worksite members of the Union County Community Service Youth Offender Program. The organization are Family & Children’s Services of Elizabeth, St. Joseph’s Social Service Center of Elizabeth, Fanwood-Scotch Plains Recycling Center, the Watchung Stables and Reservation in Mountainside, the City of Plainfield Department of Public Works, Downtown Westfield Corporation, the Kenilworth Veteran’s Center/VFW Post 2230, Rose of Sharon Church in Plainfield and  the Community Food Bank of New Jersey in Hillside. The Community Service Youth Offender Program is a Union County initiative, which focuses on delinquency prevention and helping restore communities. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)