Home Care In Oak Ridge, NJ

COVID-19 safety measures apply.

Union County, NJ – As the summer approaches, the Union County Board of Commissioners welcomes residents to enjoy the Union County Archery Range at Oak Ridge Park in Clark. This outdoor public archery range is the first, and only, facility of its kind in the region.

“The Archery Range provides an inclusive activity for all Union County residents to enjoy, from beginners to seasoned archers, and it is fully accessible to welcome persons with disabilities,” said Board of Commissioners Chairman Alexander Mirabella.

The Archery Range is open to any Union County resident or visitor age nine and older with an Archery ID Card. The ID card can be obtained by passing a safety course offered through the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation, consisting of a training session followed by hands-on instruction at the range.

To sign up for a group safety lesson, or to renew an existing Archery ID card, call 908-527-4900 or visit ucnj.org/archery.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, mask and social distancing measures have been implemented at the Archery Range. All even-numbered stalls are closed to allow for social distancing, and only one archer and one household member are allowed to share a lane.

In addition, the size of the group safety lessons has been limited to eight participants to allow for social distancing, and the range will be closed to other archers during the lessons.

For more information about Oak Ridge Park and all Union County recreation facilities, visit ucnj.org/parks.

For more information and updates on all Union County services during the COVID-19 outbreak, including the Drive-Through Test Center at Kean University, the Mobile Test Unit walk-up sites, vaccination information, emergency food distribution and other support services, visit ucnj.org/covid19. General information about COVID-19 is available through the New Jersey Department of Health at nj.gov/health.

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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email [email protected] or use the online Contact Form.

CLARK, NJ – The Oak Ridge Park Athletic Field opened officially on Monday after a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Union County Freeholders, the Union County Improvement Authority, Union County College and members of the Clark Recreation Department.

The field features an eight-lane Olympic running track, soccer and lacrosse field, field house with lockers and concession, bleachers, press box and track and field facilities.

According to county officials the field will be used by Union County College teams and athletes for soccer and lacrosse games, track and field meets and practices. The facility is also open through the County Parks Department to the public, schools, and organizations for the same usage.

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“The College’s athletic teams have struggled without a home field for many years. Frankly, it’s a social justice issue when poorer community college students don’t have the decent and safe facilities that wealthier college students take for granted,’’ said Union County College President Dr. Margaret McMenamin. “So we are pleased to partner with the County on this endeavor. Our soccer, lacrosse, and track athletes need to compete on a modern, safe, state-of-the-art field. This includes our nationally recognized women’s soccer team that finished the 2018 season ranked third in the nation at the National Junior College Athletic Association tournament...”

The 12-acre site can be used for Division I athletic competitions and is considered to be the best in the county according to officials. The complex also includes lighting for night competition, bleachers for up to 800 fans, a press box, an underground storm water detention area and provides scenic views of the park and the Watchung mountains.

Developers constructed a dedicated entrance to the field at the intersection of Woodland Road and Oak Ridge Road. It leads into the parking lot which contains 120 spaces for use by field-goers. The lot also has its own exit from the park across from the Clark Pool.

“This magnificent facility now takes its place as one of the top-notch recreational fields in the state,” said Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella. “Union County is highly regarded for its award-winning parks system, and the Oak Ridge Park Athletic Field is a great new attraction for our residents and student-athletes to enjoy.”

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Paul Tu enjoys a round at the Oak Ridge Park disc golf course in Clark.Photo Credit: Oak Ridge Park Disc Golf Club

Jacob Liss tosses a disc at the Oak Ridge Park disc golf course in Clark.Photo Credit: Oak Ridge Park Disc Golf Club

Board members of the Oak Ridge Park Disc Golf Club water newly planted trees on the course.Photo Credit: Oak Ridge Park Disc Golf Club

Paul Tu enjoys a round at the Oak Ridge Park disc golf course in Clark.Photo Credit: Oak Ridge Park Disc Golf Club

By Andrea Crowley-Hughes

PublishedFebruary 18, 2023 at 2:00 PM

UNION COUNTY, NJ — Free. Fast. A nice walk in the park. These are words Summit resident Adam Zucker uses to describe disc golf.

Zucker and other board members of the Oak Ridge Park Disc Golf Club spoke about their course at the Jan. 26 Union County Board of Commissioners meeting. The park, located in Clark, has been home to the county’s first permanent disc golf course since 2021.

Disc golf players throw concave plastic discs into metal baskets situated on an outdoor course during approximately 90-minute rounds.

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“The disc is the ball and the club,” Zucker explained.

The goal of the game is to complete the course using the fewest possible throws.

Membership to the course is growing, according to Zucker. In 2022, 150 membership tags were sold, and by the end of January 2023, the course already gained 84 more members, he said.

Zucker said membership tags are bought in person and the number usually spikes in the spring, but the course is already more than halfway toward last year’s membership increase. Membership, however, is not required to play at the course.

In 2022, players from 35 different states came to Oak Ridge Park. Those who use an app known as UDisc logged 6,127 rounds of disc golf there.

The course has also seen recent appearances from professional disc golfers including Aaron Gossage and two-time PDGA - world champion Ricky Wysocki.

David Liss, the club’s president, said interest in the sport took on a new level after 2019, when the course was still temporary and the club held its first annual Fall Flyover, an annual tournament to benefit the county’s 4H program.

“Ever since the traditional ball golf course closed at Oak Ridge Park, people had been trying to get disc golf installed there, and for the longest time, it wasn't happening," said Liss, a Cranford resident. "Then in 2019, somebody had the bright idea of saying we should run a charity tournament with temporary baskets at Oak Ridge Park. And sure enough, we did it, we raised $5,000 for 4H and that's what turned the corner.”

The sport’s popularity “exploded in 2020, when COVID hit and people needed to do something outside,” Zucker said. “The statistics show that worldwide there were three courses being put in per day before the pandemic and in the last two plus years, it's now five and a half a day.”

Zucker thanked the county for its role in setting up the course, saying other courses do not have such strong relationships with the counties they are located in.

Disc golf course membership dues contribute to efforts by the county parks’ commission’s efforts to plant more trees in the park. The club has $1,500 budgeted for new trees this year, according to its president.

Horticulturist Arlene Gurka, the club’s secretary who also leads its tree committee, said she works to plant the trees with young participants in the county 4H program.

“We try to position the tree so that depending on the type of tree that it is, it's going to protect the players between the holes," Gurka said.

Members of the Oak Ridge Park Disc Golf Club said more improvements are needed for their course to be complete.

They are asking for tee pads, as players currently throw discs while standing on the dirt, which Zucker said is a detriment.

“We basically have slippery grass that then gets chewed up, and we have to move our little markers that are very unofficial, to show where someone should tee from,” he said.

He compared the current status to having a baseball field without home plate.

Tee signs, caution signs and signage that informs visitors of course closures can follow, Zucker said.

After the presentation, commissioners tried their hands at tossing their discs into a metal basket brought by club member Bob Graham.

“We may do a commissioner outing over there and try it out,” commissioner Chair Sergio Granados said. He also encouraged members to share their ideas and concerns with parks director Victoria Durbin Drake.

More information on the course can be found on the county website and the club’s Facebook group.

The story was made possible through a collaboration of TAPinto sites in Union County.

Ridge Oak requested support from Bernards Township in its request for state funding to be used to develop 29 apartment units for seniors.

Patch Staff

|Updated Tue, Jan 31, 2023 at 1:33 pm ET

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Residents raised concerns to the Township Committee over a future proposal to tear down a single-family home and construct a 29-unit rental apartment building for the elderly.

The opposition was triggered before the Township Committee voted on a resolution on Jan. 24 to support The Ridge Oak Manangement Inc. in its desire to apply for state funding "for the purpose of developing approximately 29 rental apartment units of age-restricted affordable housing to be designated as Ridge Oak IV."

If the funding is approved by the state, the proposed project would then go before the township zoning board.

The proposed project, according to the resolution, would demolish a single-family home on Manchester Drive and replace it with the apartment complex on the two-acre lot at Block 1611, Lot 40.

The private non-profit organization already has 308 units in its senior facility, "which mission includes the development, management and operation of low and very low-income housing for the elderly and the provision of social and supportive services to elderly persons with low and very low incomes."

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While the resolution was just to support Ridge Oak's request for state funding, Manchester Drive resident Stephanie Dougherty said, "we all know they have a much bigger chance of getting that funding with your backing."

Dougherty who has lived in the area for more than 17 years said that even though the affordable housing aspect is appealing to the township, "the solution is not to keep dumping it all in the same residential neighborhood... We are at capacity, we've done our part."

Traffic and congestion were the main concerns brought up by residents at the meeting.

Prospect Avenue resident Brian McMahon presented the Township Committee with a video showing a car plowing into a parked car without ever applying the brakes.

"A lot of people drive up and down that street. They are not from the neighborhood, not from this town. They are there once in their life, twice in their life," said McMahon.

Dougherty said the bulk of the traffic in the neighborhood is from The Ridge Oak due to meal deliveries, caretakers, medical supply deliveries, and visitors.

"Manchester Drive is quite literally a thoroughfare from S Maple Avenue all the way down into Ridge Oak. And they speed," said Dougherty.

"This neighborhood was not built for that kind of traffic and we don't need 29 more apartment rentals. Don't do this to our families and our neighborhood," said Dougherty.

Police Chief Jon Burger said the department was informed a week before the Committee meeting about issues with speeding vehicles.

"We have been increasing our presence there the same we do for many areas where we receive complaints," said Burger.

Mayor Andrew McNally acknowledged all of the residents' comments and said he doesn't disagree with them at all. However, he reminded residents that the resolution up for a vote is just in support of funding.

"I believe it would be very prejudicial of us to decline this and prejudge this application. So I support Ridge Oak's potential ability to obtain funding from the state and believe they should have the opportunity to present the full merits of their proposal to the zoning board," said McNally.

Deputy Mayor Jennifer Asay said, "any yes for this does not endorse this project at all. What it merely does is allows them to apply for funding."

"We are doing this in fairness and we are very transparent about this. I promise you this is just about the funding," said Committeewoman Janice Fields. "We have to be fair to everyone if we have done this for others we have to do it for them too. We can't be biased."

Fields added that if Ridge Oak does get the funding the next step would be for the township zoning board to vet the project so that the public can share their concerns.

Alpin Haus, located in Amsterdam, N.Y., and one of the Northeast’s largest family-owned outdoor recreation retailers, today (Jan. 8) announced the acquisition of RV sales and service provider Garick RV. The New Jersey-based company, founded in 1983, will operate under the Alpin Haus banner effective immediately, according to a release

The acquisition of Garick RV’s sales and service centers, both located in Oak Ridge, NJ, marks the first-time expansion of Alpin Haus outside New York state. The addition will enhance and complement Alpin Haus’ established RV sales and service locations in Amsterdam, Wilton and Port Jervis, NY, the release stated, and all 21 staff members employed by Garick RV will be retained by Alpin Haus.

“We are excited to welcome Garick RV and their associates to the Alpin Haus family. With nearly a century of combined experience as family-owned businesses, we share a similar philosophy of excellence and unwavering commitment to customer service,” said Alpin Haus President Andy Heck.

“Since this past spring, we’ve seen many families develop an interest in the RV lifestyle as they look for safe getaway options during the pandemic. Our new location in the Garden State will allow us to serve even more valued customers and help them enjoy the outdoors,” Heck added.

Under the Alpin Haus banner, the Oak Ridge sales center, located at 3134 Route 23 North, will continue to sell new and used RVs, travel trailers, fifth-wheels, Class A and C motorhomes, and pop-up campers. The Alpin Haus of Oak Ridge sales center will continue to offer the same quality brands, including Jayco and Keystone, with plans to expand product offerings in the future. The sales center hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The Alpin Haus of Oak Ridge service center, located at 209 Oak Ridge Road – only one mile from the sales center – features 10 service bays with 9,000 square feet of state-of-the-art service equipment. Service center hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Alpin Haus has been named one of the “Top 50 RV Dealers in North America” by RVBusiness magazine. In addition to the recently acquired New Jersey location, Alpin Haus operates five retail shops in New York featuring a full-line of RVs, snowmobiles, skis, boats, pools, and spas. The family-owned business is one of the leading outdoor recreational retailers in the Northeast and currently employs more than 200 individuals.

For more information, visit www.alpinhausrv.com.

About Alpin Haus

For more than 50 years, Alpin Haus has served as the one of the Northeast’s largest outdoor recreation retailers. With six store locations in the Capital Region, Hudson Valley and Northern New Jersey, Alpin Haus features a full-line of RVs, snowmobiles, skis, boats, pools, and spas. Alpin Haus is one of America’s largest RV dealers and has received the Snow Sports Retailer of the Year; National Top Quality RV Dealer of the Year; Ski-Doo District Dealer of the Year; and has been selected multiple times as one of the Best Places to Work by Capital District Business Review. For more information, visit www.alpinhaus.com.