This edition of our Mercer Monthly newsletter highlights County government news as well as events that are taking place in April. You’ll find stories about the Mercer County Wildlife Center’s annual call for volunteers, our 2023 summer youth employment program, a tribute to five “unstoppable” small businesses in Mercer County, and much more.

Also featured is an announcement about a paper-shredding event being hosted by the Mercer County Improvement Authority, as well as fun things to do this month, including family-oriented Saturday programs at Howell Farm and a variety of exciting events taking place at CURE Arena. And there’s a lot more going on at our parks and elsewhere throughout the month. I hope you enjoy reading about some of the many exciting things taking place in Mercer County.

Brian M. Hughes
Mercer County Executive

The Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation has named Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes the 2022 Robert F. Casciola Distinguished American Award recipient. The award was presented to Mr. Hughes at the 61st Annual George Wah Awards Dinner, held March 12, 2023 at the Princeton Marriott at Forrestal, in support of the 2022 Scholar Leader Athlete Awards.

Considered the Chapter’s highest award, the Casciola Distinguished American Award is named for the revered All-Ivy League tackle for Princeton University who spent 20 years in the college coaching ranks as an assistant coach at Princeton and Dartmouth College and then as head coach at the University of Connecticut and Princeton. Along with having a rewarding career in the banking industry, Bob Casciola also served for many years as color analyst for the Princeton Tigers football organization.

On bestowing the award, the Chapter recognized the County Executive’s transformative leadership of Mercer County, N.J., and his ongoing commitment of opening up opportunity to people of all walks of life. Read more.

Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes has announced a summer youth employment program that will provide paid internships and work readiness training to teens and young adults in the County. Priority is given to those who are economically disadvantaged or have barriers to employment; however, the program is open to all.

Mercer County’s Summer Youth Jobs Connection, which is being funded by a grant from the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development and coordinated by the Mercer County One-Stop Career Center, will benefit more than 100 youth ages 16 to 24 with summer employment meant to encourage a successful transition to the workforce.

Summer Youth Jobs Connection is an eight-week program that begins July 3 and concludes Sept. 1. Participation is open to Mercer County residents ages 16 to 24 who meet the criteria. Interns will be paid $15 an hour with an opportunity to earn $3,000 for the summer. Read more.

The Mercer County Wildlife Center, a rehabilitation facility whose goal is to release wildlife back into the wild, will hold orientations for new volunteers Sunday, April 2, from 1 to 3 p.m. and Saturday, April 8, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Wildlife Center in Hopewell Township. Those who are interested are required to attend only one of the two sessions. If you would like to attend, please email Kimberly Dawes, Volunteer Education Coordinator, at mcwcvolunteers@gmail.com. Pre-registration is required. These are the only orientations scheduled for the 2023 season.

Volunteers must be able to commit to one four-hour shift per week from April through September. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age and are required to attend one orientation session. Volunteer duties are varied and include enclosure cleaning, meal preparation, laundry and other miscellaneous tasks that help ensure the proper care and health of the Wildlife Center’s patients.

The Wildlife Center, which is owned by the County of Mercer and operated by the Mercer County Park Commission, is located on Route 29 in Hopewell Township. For more information about the Wildlife Center or other Park Commission facilities, visit www.mercercounty.org/parks.

Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes urges small businesses interested in learning more about contracting with local and state government to register for a free workshop to be presented by the Mercer County Office of Economic Development and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at The College of New Jersey. The workshop will be offered Thursday, April 20, from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Boathouse at Mercer Lake in Mercer County Park, 334 South Post Road, West Windsor. Light fare and cash bar will be available.

The workshop will include the following:

• Networking with prime and subcontractors
• Grants and other business incentives from the Mercer County Office of Economic Development
• Available business resources from the SBDC at The College of New Jersey
• Purchasing opportunities through the Mercer County Purchasing Department
• NJ Treasury Department will present access to contracts for State goods and services and construction opportunities

As warmer weather fast approaches, the Mercer County Mosquito Control Unit advises that now is the perfect time to clear your property of any unused objects that may hold water and harbor mosquitoes.

If removing containers is not possible, they should be stored properly so as not to collect water. Containers such as tires, buckets, children’s toys, corrugated downspout extensions, birdbaths, potted plant saucers, and neglected swimming pools or ornamental ponds are all suitable habitats for mosquitoes. Some species of mosquitoes thrive in containers that hold very small amounts of water (as little as a bottlecap), which can easily be overlooked and become problematic, especially after plants around your property develop foliage.

The Mosquito Control Unit encourages everyone to routinely survey their property and remove standing water.

Please remember: STANDING WATER + 7 DAYS = MOSQUITOES.

One person’s trash is another person’s TrashedArt! Accepted entries in the Mercer County Library System’s 14^th annual TrashedArt Contest, which celebrates Earth Day by encouraging patrons to turn ordinary trash into extraordinary art, are on display through April at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch.

Patrons can view photographs of the artwork and vote for the “People’s Choice” awards in person at each of the nine library branches and virtually on the MCLS website at www.mcl.org. Winners will be announced Tuesday, April 18, at 6:30 p.m. at the TrashedArt Contest Reception at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch, 2751 Brunswick Pike. Please register online for the TrashedArt Reception at www.mcl.org.

The photographs also will be used to create a virtual gallery that will be shared on the MCLS social media channels and website. To view past virtual galleries, visit the MCLS YouTube Channel (and search for “Virtual TrashedArt Reception Slideshow (2020),” “TrashedArt 2021 Virtual Contest Gallery,” and “TrashedArt Contest 2022 Gallery”).

Progress continues on the new ropes course and zip line under construction at Mercer County Park, announced Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes The structure, going up across from the Festival Grounds, is beginning to take shape. Park users will be able to take an aerial adventure crossing bridges, balancing on ropes, climbing through obstacles, and riding the zip line. The ropes course will offer various levels of difficulty for children and adults alike.

This cutting-edge recreational amenity is slated to open in Summer 2023! Watch this space for continued updates. 

Mercer County and the Park Commission third annual Bike Drive is set for Saturday, April 8, County Executive Brian M. Hughes announced. The County takes your old bikes -- no matter the condition -- and gives them to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Mercer County Bike Exchange, a volunteer-run organization that repairs donated bikes and sells them at modest prices at its Ewing location at Capitol Plaza, with proceeds benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs directly. Donations are tax-deductible.

“Our first two Bike Drives were a big success,” Mr. Hughes said, “and we’re happy to help promote bike-riding for both transportation and pleasure while helping in the efforts to make low-cost bicycles available to low- and moderate-income families.”

To donate a bike, drop it off on Saturday, April 8, between 12 noon and 4 p.m. at one of two locations: Ranger Headquarters at Mercer County Park in West Windsor, or the Historic Hunt House at 197 Blackwell Road in Hopewell Township. The rain date is April 15.

Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes reminds local businesses that the Mercer County Small Business Grant Program is accepting applications through its online portal. The Grant Program dedicates $3.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to provide direct aid to Mercer County small businesses that have likely experienced hardship from the COVID-19 disaster. 

"Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities and local economy, providing jobs, careers and opportunity,” the County Executive said. “Successful businesses put money back into Mercer County through paychecks and taxes, which support the creation of other new small businesses.” Read more.

Howell Living History Farm, a facility of the Mercer County Park Commission located in Hopewell Township, offers Saturday events that the whole family can enjoy. Saturday programs planned this coming month are as follows:

April 1 – Spring Beekeeping & Gardening; April 8 – Henhouse Visits; April 15 – Plowing, Harrowing & Wash Day; April 22 – Potato Planting; April 29 – Fashion Show

Click here for Howell Farm’s 2023 calendar of events.

The Mercer County Improvement Authority will host a drop-off program on Saturday, April 29, for easy and secure shredding of personal documents. Shredding will take place rain or shine from 9 a.m. to noon at Lot 4, 651 South Broad St., Trenton, across from the Mercer County Administration Building. Click here or on the flyer for more information.

Please be aware that Trenton-Mercer Airport and mutual aid agencies will be conducting a training exercise May 4, 2023 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on the grounds of Trenton-Mercer Airport.

There will be a large public safety presence that will simulate a full-scale airport emergency drill, and there is no cause for alarm.

This full-scale exercise, required every three years by the Federal Aviation Administration, is a multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional activity that involves the actual deployment of resources in a coordinated response, as if a real incident has occurred.

Photo: First responders reporting to the airfield during the full-scale exercise in 2020.

Upcoming events and shows include: 

• Punk Rock Flea Market, April 1-2
• Los Tigres Del Norte, April 14
• Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, May 6

TICKET ORDERS

The Isaac Watson House on the grounds of Mercer County's Roebling Park is recognized as the oldest house in Mercer County. Built by Isaak Watson in 1708, the stone house is situated on a bluff overlooking Watson's Creek and the Abbott Farm National Historic Landmark.

The building was restored by the Daughters of the American Revolution as part of the New Jersey Tercentenary Celebration in 1964 and listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places in 1972 and the National Register of Historic Places on Jan. 21, 1974. 

Photo: Isaac Watson House, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Isaac_Watson_House&oldid=1136362209

Clinics for all ages

Wednesday, April 5, 3:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Mercer County Office Park, 1440 Parkside Ave., Ewing 08638

Wednesday, May 3, 3:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Mercer County Office Park, 1440 Parkside Ave., Ewing 08638

Tuesday, May 9, 2 to 4 p.m., Trenton Free Public Library, 120 Academy St., Trenton 08608

Wednesday, June 7, 3:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Mercer County Office Park, 1440 Parkside Ave., Ewing 08638

Pediatric clinics – 6 months to 11 years only

Saturday, April 1, 10 to 11:30 a.m., West Windsor Branch of Mercer County Library System, 333 North Post Road, Princeton Junction 08550

Saturday, April 29, 10 to 11:30 a.m., Lawrence Headquarters Branch of Mercer County Library System, 2751 Brunswick Pike, Lawrence 08648