Oak Ridge Today

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If you appreciate what we do here at Oak Ridge Today, please consider becoming a voluntary subscriber. You don’t have to subscribe to read our stories, but your contribution will help us cover local news for you day and night, as best we can.

We currently offer three subscription levels: $5, $10, or $25 per month. We accept payments through PayPal. You can also send check payments to our P.O. box. Please visit our subscription page for information on these options.

There isn’t currently a difference between the three monthly subscription levels. It’s mostly a matter of what you can contribute or want to contribute. We believe that most of our subscribers support us because they like what we’re doing and want to see us succeed. We like to think of the voluntary subscriptions as like a tip jar. So, if you appreciate our service, please consider subscribing. [Read more…]

Housing report recommends more new homes, rental units

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The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce and its Housing Task Force, which was chaired by Melinda Hillman, right, presented a housing report to the Oak Ridge City Council during a non-voting work session on Tuesday, April 18, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce and its Housing Task Force, which was chaired by Melinda Hillman, right, present a housing report to the Oak Ridge City Council during a non-voting work session on Tuesday, April 18, 2017. At left is Parker Hardy, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce president. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The competition to provide housing for workers is fierce, and Oak Ridge needs more new homes in the $180,000-$280,000 price range and more rental units in the $900-$1,200 price range, according to a housing report presented to Oak Ridge City Council by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.

Also proposed in the housing report: the development of attractive, convenient mixed use gathering spaces; improving the appearance of existing neighborhoods through aggressive codes enforcement; beautification projects in public spaces to make Oak Ridge more appealing; developing and implementing a consistent “brand” for Oak Ridge that encompasses livability, economic development, and tourism; incentivizing home improvements in the Manhattan District Overlay; and developing public/private partnerships to work on housing.

The report, which was presented to City Council in a non-voting work session on Tuesday, studied where Oak Ridge employees live, based upon the zip codes of 7,372 employees from eight major Oak Ridge employers. It found that 22 percent of Oak Ridge workers live in Oak Ridge. That’s compared to 44 percent who live in Knox County, primarily in Farragut, Hardin Valley, Northshore, Karns, and Cedar Bluff.

Ten percent of the Oak Ridge workers live in Roane County, 6 percent live in Clinton, and less than five percent each live in Loudon, Blount, Morgan, and other counties, the report said.

The housing report only reviewed Oak Ridge as it compares to the five most popular communities where people who work in Oak Ridge choose to live (Farragut, Hardin Valley, Northshore, Karns, and Cedar Bluff).

“Competition for residents is fierce, and Oak Ridge competes with some of the most desirable communities in the region,” the report said. [Read more…]

Performers for Celebrate Oak Ridge (Secret City Festival) to be announced at Primetime on April 27

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Ann Bratton, co-owner of Downtown Hardware, helps an attendee register for a door prize at last spring's Primetime Fiesta. This year's event will take place on Thursday, April 27, 2017, and it will feature the announcement about the performers at Celebrate Oak Ridge (Secret City Festival). (Submitted photo)

Ann Bratton, co-owner of Downtown Hardware, helps an attendee register for a door prize at last spring’s Primetime Fiesta. This year’s event will take place on Thursday, April 27, 2017, and it will feature the announcement about the performers at Celebrate Oak Ridge (Secret City Festival). (Submitted photo)

 

Performers for Celebrate Oak Ridge (Secret City Festival) will be announced at the Spring Primetime networking event at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, April 27.

More than 40 member organizations of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce have already reserved exhibit space for the event, which is titled “Fiesta Primetime,” a press release said.

The event will be held from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27, under the tent in the parking lot of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, which is at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Primetime is one of the Chamber’s biggest networking events of the year, the press release said. Anyone—Chamber member or not—is encouraged to attend. During the event, organizers for Celebrate Oak Ridge (Secret City Festival) will announce the performers for the festival this summer. [Read more…]

Council to receive housing study from Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday

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The Oak Ridge City Council will receive a housing study from the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.

The Council is scheduled to receive the study during a non-voting work session at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, in the Central Services Complex Multipurpose Room. The Central Services Complex is on Woodbury Lane, off Wilberforce Avenue behind the Kmart shopping center.

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Housing Study will be presented by Melinda Hillman, chair of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Housing Study Committee. [Read more…]

Center for Leadership & Community Development starts ‘Encounter Oak Ridge’ program

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The Oak Ridge Center for Leadership and Community Development, an organization affiliated with the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, has announced a new program, Encounter Oak Ridge.

Encounter Oak Ridge is a new four-session program designed to introduce Oak Ridge to new residents, new employees, and everyone interested in learning more about the community where they live or work. Participants will be introduced to the unique aspects of Oak Ridge. Sessions will take place on four consecutive Mondays, beginning on April 24 and concluding on May 15. Encounter Oak Ridge is sponsored by NSPS.

“Participants in this new program will benefit from learning about our community and from the new business and personal contacts they will make through Encounter Oak Ridge,” said Bonnie Hebert of Oak Ridge National Laboratory/UT-Battelle and chair of the Encounter Oak Ridge program.

“Encounter Oak Ridge is our organization’s latest offering to inform and empower Oak Ridge’s workforce and residents to be engaged in the community where they live and/or work,” said John Garrity of NSPS LLC and chairman of the Center for Leadership and Community Development.

Each session will focus on different aspects of the Oak Ridge community, the press release said: [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Farmers Market opens Saturday

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Farmers Market

The Oak Ridge Farmers Market opens for the season in Jackson Square at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 15. It will be open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, and from 3 p.m. to sellout on Wednesdays starting June 7. (File photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Farmers Market opens for the season in Jackson Square on Saturday, April 15.

The Farmers Market will be open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. It will be open from 3 p.m. to sellout on Wednesday starting June 7.

The farmers markets are operated by the East Tennessee Farmers Association for Retail Marketing, or FARM. FARM celebrated its 40th anniversary last fall.

According to FARM history, two law students from the University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt University organized Food Fairs in 1976 that would bring farmers together to eventually create the Farmers Association for Retail Marketing.

“The primary objectives of the project were to increase income for family farmers in Tennessee by providing new markets and to get fresh, homegrown produce to urban consumers at fair prices,” the FARM history said. [Read more…]

Second year of Arts & Antiques in the Square kicks off April 29

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The second year of Arts & Antiques in the Square kicks off Saturday, April 29, in Jackson Square. Vendor spaces are available, and you can have items appraised at the kickoff. Pictured above are Linda Johnston, right, owner of Through the Looking Glass Antiques and Collectibles and Meghan O'Neal of Southern Bliss Boutique. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The second year of Arts & Antiques in the Square kicks off Saturday, April 29, in Jackson Square. Vendor spaces are available, and you can have items appraised at the kickoff. Pictured above are Linda Johnston, right, owner of Through the Looking Glass Antiques and Collectibles, and Meghan O’Neal of Southern Bliss Boutique. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The second year of Arts & Antiques in the Square kicks off Saturday, April 29, in Jackson Square. Vendor spaces are available, and you can have items appraised at the kickoff.

The appraisals will be done by Case Antiques Inc. of Knoxville. It’s the Tennessee Treasures Appraisals Fair, which is part of the April 29 kickoff of Arts & Antiques in the Square. Items can be appraised for $10 per item, or $50 for six items. The appraisals will be done from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 29, in Jackson Square.

“Browse our shops and Arts & Antiques vendors while your items are appraised,” the Jackson Square Merchants Association said. If you have furniture to be appraised, you don’t have to bring it. You can bring photos or send them in advance.

Arts & Antiques in the Square itself is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 29.

The series is usually, but not always, held on the last Saturday of the month. The events highlight the arts: dance, music, visual arts, and theater. They also allow vendors to showcase and sell their products.

“We’re trying to revitalize Jackson Square to its former glory,” said Linda Johnston, owner of Through the Looking Glass Antiques and Collectibles. “This used to be where everybody came.” [Read more…]

City board rejects request for more time for repairs at Applewood

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An Oak Ridge board has rejected a request for more time, or even a waiver, for making exterior repairs at the 13 now-empty Applewood Apartment building on Hillside Road and Hunter Circle. The request came from property Joe Levitt, right, a Knoxville attorney. At left is Oak Ridge Code Enforcement Inspector Lisa Crumpley. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

An Oak Ridge board has rejected a request for more time, or even a waiver, for making exterior repairs at the 13 now-vacant Applewood Apartment building on Hillside Road and Hunter Circle. The request came from property Joe Levitt, right, a Knoxville attorney. At left is Oak Ridge Code Enforcement Inspector Lisa Crumpley. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:10 a.m.

An Oak Ridge board has rejected a request for more time, or even a waiver, for making exterior repairs at the 13 now-vacant Applewood Apartments buildings on Hillside Road and Hunter Circle.

The Oak Ridge Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals rejected the request from Applewood Apartments owner Joe Levitt in a 5-1 vote on Thursday.

Levitt had asked for a waiver or one-year extension for time to paint or stain the exteriors of the apartment buildings.

The condition of the exteriors had been cited in code violation notices issued by Oak Ridge Code Enforcement Inspector Lisa Crumpley on February 6. She said the exteriors of the apartment buildings need to be stained or painted. The siding on the buildings is chipping and fading, and it is disrepair in places, Crumpley said.

She also said trash and debris are accumulating at the apartments.

Levitt said the debris at the apartments is being addressed bi-weekly. [Read more…]

City alleges code violations at Applewood; Levitt asks for waiver or extension

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applewood-apartments-1-oct-7-2016

The last tenant of the Applewood Apartments on Hillside Road and Hunter Circle moved out Friday, Oct. 7, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

An Oak Ridge inspector has alleged code violations at Applewood Apartments, and owner Joe Levitt has asked for a waiver or one-year extension for time to paint or stain the exteriors.

Besides the alleged exterior violations, the city also alleged code violations due to the accumulation of trash and debris at the 13 buildings on Hillside Road and Hunter Circle.

In his responses, Levitt said the debris is being addressed bi-weekly.

While Levitt wants a waiver or one-year extension on the exteriors, the city staff has requested an order for compliance within 60 days.

The Oak Ridge Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals will hear Levitt’s appeal at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 13, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Room 104. [Read more…]

Sears’ future won’t affect Sears Hometown Store in Oak Ridge

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Sears Hometown Store on Fairbanks Road in Oak Ridge had a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, March 17, 2017. (Photo by Kay Brookshire)

Sears Hometown Store on Fairbanks Road in Oak Ridge had a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, March 17, 2017. (Photo by Kay Brookshire)

 

With the recent news surrounding Sears Holdings Corporation, the Sears Hometown Store in Oak Ridge said Wednesday that it wants to assure local residents “they are going strong and will continue providing the community access to the brands they love and need.”

Sears Hometown locations operate under Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Inc., which separated from Sears Holdings Corporation in October 2012 and is a completely separate, publicly-traded company, a press release said.

“With this, news reports from Sears Holdings Corporation about its performance or store closings are in no way a reflection of the health of Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores or the Oak Ridge Sears Hometown Store,” the press release said. “Plus, unlike most retail concepts, Sears Hometown Stores combine the value, selection, and services associated with larger retail stores but are owned and operated by a member of the local community.”

The Oak Ridge store is locally owned and operated. [Read more…]

Downtown Hardware having Truckload Sale, Customer Appreciation Days

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Downtown Hardware has been serving the community for 62 years, and the store is having a Truckload Sale through April 8 and two Customer Appreciation Days on Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1, 2017.

Downtown Hardware has been serving the community for 62 years, and the store is having a Truckload Sale through April 8 and two Customer Appreciation Days on Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1, 2017.

 

Downtown Hardware has been serving the community for 62 years, and the store is having a Truckload Sale through April 8 and two Customer Appreciation Days on Friday and Saturday.

The Customer Appreciation Days are Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1. Downtown Hardware will have free hot dogs and drinks both days, and draw hourly for door prizes.

The Truckload Sale started March 30 and ends April 8. [Read more…]

Estate, celebrity jewelry featured at Karen’s Jewelers on Friday, Saturday

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This estate jewelry will be among pieces featured at the Karen’s Jewelers Estate Jewelry Show and Sale on Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1. (Submitted photo)

This estate jewelry will be among pieces featured at the Karen’s Jewelers Estate Jewelry Show and Sale on Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1. (Submitted photo)

 

Estate jewelry that once belonged to Joan Rivers, Ringo Starr, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elizabeth Taylor, and Greta Garbo, among many others, will be featured at an Estate Jewelry Show and Sale on Friday and Saturday at Karen’s Jewelers in Oak Ridge.

The Estate Jewelry Show and Sale will be held from 2-7:30 p.m. Friday, March 31, and from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. April 1. The show presents a $3 million collection of antique, vintage, and contemporary estate jewelry, a press release said. Rings, bracelets, earrings, brooches, pendants, and necklaces will be among hundreds of pieces on display, with prices starting at $500. A wide selection of colors of gems and karats of gold will be included.

Among the treasures will be jewelry that once belonged to the Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and his actress wife, Barbara Bach, who portrayed a Bond girl in the film “The Spy Who Loved Me,” the press release said. The jewelry was auctioned when the couple sold their home in England, with auction proceeds going to charity.

Also featured will be pieces of signed jewelry, vintage engagement rings, pearls, cameos, diamonds, gold, gems, platinum, and filigree designs gathered from estates around the world, according to Martha Hart of Karen’s Jewelers. [Read more…]