Category: Public Info

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce an adult program at Trailside Nature & Science Center, “The Nature of New Jersey,” on Thursday, April 11 from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. The fee for this program is $10 for Union County residents and $12 for out-of-county visitors.

“This is indeed a ‘natural’ opportunity to learn about New Jersey’s diverse and fascinating wildlife,” said Freeholder Chairman Linda Carter. “The state’s flora and fauna are featured in a magnificent journey through the seasons across the Garden State.”

Former New Jersey Audubon Society naturalist Pete Bacinski will take you on a photographic guided tour of the intriguing world of our native wildlife. This program is a naturalist’s answer to New Jersey’s critics, designed to highlight and acknowledge the state’s notable natural and scenic treasures.

Pre-registration is preferred for this lecture, but walk-ins will be accommodated as space permits.

For additional information about “The Nature of New Jersey” and 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 in Mountainside and is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release. Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/countyofunionnj .

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders through the Department of Parks and Community Renewal is pleased to announce the availability of an exercise program at Runnells Specialized Hospital in Berkeley Heights for people who have had strokes or those who have other physical limitations.

“These special classes address general fitness needs,” said Freeholder Angel G. Estrada, liaison to the Union County Advisory Board on the Disabled. “This light exercise program focuses on strength and range of motion, body awareness, overall health and exercises that can be performed in a participant’s home.”

Classes are accessible to those in wheelchairs and the program contains activities that can be adapted to everyone. The exercise program meets twice each week; individuals have the option to attend one or both days. The schedule of classes is every Tuesday and Thursday from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. from April 9 through November 7.

Pre-registration is required, along with a current doctor’s prescription and release. There is a one-time enrollment fee of $20 per person for the modified exercise program.

Runnells Specialized Hospital is located at 40 Watchung Way in Berkeley Heights, and it is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. For further information, please contact the Union County Department of Parks and Community Renewal, Programs for the Disabled, at 908-527-4806 or email:mheisey@ucnj.org.

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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release. Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/countyofunionnj .

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce the first in a series of five County-sponsored public meetings in support of Together North Jersey, a voluntary initiative aimed at improving quality of life while fostering sustainable economic growth in the region.

The first meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 28 at Kean University. Space is limited and pre-registration is required by emailing Union County at TNJIntern@ucnj.org.

“These public meetings are aimed at gathering insights from Union County residents who have the life experiences, the ideas and the aspirations that form the basis of a strong community,” said Freeholder Chairman Linda Carter. “I encourage anyone with an interest in sustainable development to participate.”

Together North Jersey is a voluntary partnership of public agencies and non-profit institutions working to develop a regional plan for sustainable development encompassing Union County and the surrounding area.

The effort is part of a national sustainable planning initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In New Jersey, these funds are administered by the North Jersey Sustainable Communities Consortium and the Rutgers University Bloustein School.

The goal is to help cities, suburbs and rural areas improve the quality of life and sustain economic growth while avoiding the pollution, public health and congestion issues that can attend unplanned development.

In Union County, the initiative will cover key areas including transportation, affordable housing, economic competitiveness, coordinated policies and investment, and the value of communities and neighborhoods.

“Union County is fortunate to have the building blocks for sustainable development at hand, including our transportation network, educational and cultural institutions, preserved open space and walkable communities,” said Carter. “Now the goal is to put those pieces together for the benefit of future generations.”

After the March 28 meeting, the four remaining meetings are:

• Providing More Transportation Choices, May 7 in Cranford.

• Promoting Equitable, Affordable Housing, May 29 in Westfield.

• Supporting Communities and Neighborhoods, June 26 in Cranford.

• Coordinating Policies and Leveraging Investment, date and location to be determined.

Additional information about Together North Jersey is available online at togethernorthjersey.com.

For more information about the Union County meetings schedule, email TNJIntern@ucnj.org.

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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release.   Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – Spring is here again and Union County invites you to get back into nature by visiting the Watchung Stable in Mountainside and taking a guided trail ride through the wooded Watchung Reservation – Union County’s largest park.

“Horseback riding is a real treat,” said Union County Freeholder Chairman Linda Carter. “Taking a guided trail ride through the Watchung Reservation with the woods in bloom is an affordable way to spend some quality time in the country and still be close to home.”

This season’s expanded schedule of trail rides will begin on Saturday, April 6. Everyone nine years of age or older, with or without riding experience, can participate in one of four public rides held each weekend, on Saturdays at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. and on Sundays at 2:00 and 3:00 p.m., weather permitting.

Each public trail ride follows bridle trails through part of the 2,000-acre Watchung Reservation in Mountainside. Public trail rides are on a first-come, first-served basis, and people are encouraged to arrive early.

Private guided trail rides are also offered for individuals and groups of up to 15 people. A call to Watchung Stable to set up a mutually convenient time on a weekday or weekend is all it takes to get you, your family or your group out into the forested Watchung Reservation on horseback.

The cost to take a trail ride is $32 per person for Union County residents and $45 for out-of-county riders. An additional $32 instructor fee (one per 10 people) is added to the cost of private trail rides.

Young riders under the age of nine can ride a lead-line horse on Sundays from 9:00 to 10:45 a.m.  Lead lines are also held during the week – if the weather permits – on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost for a half-hour lead-line horse is $18 for Union County residents and $26 for out-of-county riders.

The trail rides and lead-lines rides are held at Watchung Stable, located at 1160 Summit Lane in Mountainside. Office hours are 9:00 a.m. to noon, and 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. daily.

To schedule your private trail ride, or for additional information, call 908-789-3665 during normal office hours or email questions to stablequestions@ucnj.org.  Watchung Stable also offers private and semi-private English Riding lessons, birthday parties, Scout Horse Badge and non-riding group programs for all ages. Watchung Stable is a facility of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release. Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/countyofunionnj .

Union County Freeholder Chairman Linda Carter (2nd L) and Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski present a resolution to Union County Sheriff Ralph Froehlich and members of the Sheriff’s K-9 Search and Rescue Unit in honor of K9 Veterans Day that recognizes all working dogs in the military and law enforcement. The Sheriff’s officers are (from center to right) Sgt. Brian Howarth, Officer Ryan Wilson, Officer Timothy O’Grady and Sgt. John Gillespie. They are joined by retired Sheriff’s K9 Bingo.

The Kong dog toy company donated toys to rK9 Bingo. KollerCraft Products donated three training toys to each of the 10 active Union County Sheriff’s K9 teams.

More toys from the companies were donated to The Seeing Eye in Morristown to help train service dogs in honor of K9 Git who was killed in the line of duty in September 2001.

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County, NJ — Union County Freeholder Alexander Mirabella (Middle) is presented with the 2013 Public Service Award by Robert Davies of Davies Insurance Management (Left) and John Rosellini of Overlook Medical Center and President of the Suburban Chamber of Commerce   (Right).  Freeholder Mirabella received the award for his Freeholder Initiative as Chairman in 2012, Union County Means Business. This initiative grew from a series of business networking events to include an online information hub and newsletter, a new workforce partnership with Union County College, and a special small business loan program through the Union County Economic Development Corporation.

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(From left) Union County Freeholders Bruce Bergen, Bette Jane Kowalski and Vernell Wright present a certificate of appreciation to Cocoa and John Catallo of Springfield for their dedication to delivering Meals On Wheels to local seniors in the Springfield area for the past 10 years. The couple was honored in February as SAGE Eldercare’s “Sweetheart Volunteers for 2013.” During their visit to SAGE Eldercare in Summit, the Freeholders also deliver Meals On Wheels as part of the senior service agency’s annual March for Meals event. For more information on SAGE Eldercare, call 908-273-5550 or visit sageeldercare.org.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release.   Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org

On Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook

On Twitter at http://twitter.com/countyofunionnj

Rain gardens are attractive, specially landscaped areas that help reduce stormwater runoff. A wide variety of different plants can be used, so each rain garden can be designed to complement an individual property. The rain garden pictured here demonstrates an informal style (photo courtesy of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency).

Union County, NJ – If you own a home in Rahway, you may be eligible to have a free rain garden planned and installed on your property by experts from Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County and the Water Resources Program. The offer applies only to properties that are located within the Robinson’s Branch Watershed in Rahway.

To apply and to find out if your property is eligible, visit water.rutgers.edu and click on “Rahway Rain Garden Project” or call Michele Bakacs, Environmental Agent with Rutgers Cooperative Extension at 732-398-5274.

“Rain gardens add an aesthetically pleasing feature to your yard while helping to reduce stormwater runoff. They can help reduce the risk of flooding in your neighborhood, so it’s a win-win all around,” said Union County Freeholder Linda Carter.

A rain garden is simply a shallow, attractively landscaped area built with special soils. They can be located on slight slopes as well as flat surfaces.

Rain gardens work by collecting excess stormwater from lawns, roofs, driveways and other paved surfaces. Rather than running off to overloaded storm drains, the excess water seeps naturally into the soil.

“An additional benefit is the natural filtration that soil provides,” Carter noted. “Rain gardens help contribute to improved water quality in our local waterways and beyond.”

The Rahway Rain Garden Project is part of a broader strategy to help reduce flooding and improve water quality in the Robinson’s Branch watershed, funded by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and administered by Rutgers Cooperative Extension and the City of Rahway.

Union County residents outside of the project area who would like to know more about rain gardens or who have a question about gardening can contact the free Garden Helpline, a Rutgers Extension service run by volunteer members of the Master Gardeners of Union County, at 908-654-9852 ormastergardeners@ucnj.org.

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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release.   Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Union County – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, in connection with Union County College, invite County residents with an interest in the fields of Healthcare and Allied Health to attend one of three information sessions on free job training, offered through the Union County Choices program ,taking place Tuesday, April 2nd, Wednesday, April 3rd, and Thursday, April 4th.

“The Freeholder Board recognizes that the key to stimulating Union County’s economy not only lies in job creation, but also in job training and retention,” said Freeholder Chairman Linda Carter.

The Union County Choices program, which is one of Carter’s initiatives as Chairman, is geared towards providing a range of skills and sector training to eligible job seekers in Union County’s priority economic development sectors.

The first set of information sessions will provide introductory information on trainings offered for Patient Care Technician and Medical Office Assistant, and will take place at the following locations:

• Tuesday, April 2nd at 7:00 p.m. – Plainfield Library 800 Park Avenue Plainfield, NJ 07060
• Wednesday, April 3rd at 6:00 p.m. – Union County College, Kellogg Building 40 West Jersey Street, Elizabeth, NJ, 07202-2314
• Thursday, April 4th at 2:00 p.m. –  Union County College, Kellogg Building 40 West Jersey Street, Elizabeth, NJ, 07202-2314

Sessions are free of charge to attend, and walk-ins are welcome although pre-registration is preferred. To register, or for more information on the Union County Choices program please contact Gina Tuesta atgtuesta@ucnj.org. For registration purposes, please include your name, email address, and preferred session date.

In addition to attending the information session, to be considered for the Union County Choices program candidates must meet have a high school diploma or GED, TABE 8th Grade, be WIA eligible and complete a criminal background check prior to the start of the training program.

For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release. Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.