Oak Ridge Today

New Winter Farmers Market opens in Oak Ridge on Dec. 3

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

oak-ridge-winter-farmers-market-logo

The new Winter Farmers Market in Oak Ridge opens Saturdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the gym at St. Mary’s School, December through February.

 

From hand-roasted coffee to hydroponically raised tilapia, the new Winter Farmers Market, by Grow Oak Ridge LLC, is offering a brand new experience in Oak Ridge.

The market opens Saturday, December 3, bringing more than 40 local food and artisan vendors indoors for the first time ever in the Secret City. The market will be located in the gym at St. Mary’s School gym, which is at 323 Vermont Avenue in Oak Ridge. It is open every Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., December through February (closed December 24 and 31).

“I started planning this market last winter, when I realized several farmers come all winter long and stand out in the cold in Jackson Square,” said Rebecca Williams, founder of Grow Oak Ridge LLC and director of the market. “I asked them if they’d rather keep warm, and they said yes! The mission of Grow Oak Ridge is to support the local food system, be an incubator for small businesses, and create a community gathering spot in Oak Ridge.” [Read more…]

Photos: Main Street Oak Ridge construction work under way

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

towneplace-suites-area-main-street-oak-ridge-nov-1-2016-slider

This area near the intersection of Wilson Street and Rutgers Avenue, close to JCPenney, should be ready to turn over to the developer of a four-story, 81-room TownePlaces Suites hotel in the next few weeks, a RealtyLink executive said Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Eight new stores at Main Street Oak Ridge could be ready by late spring or summer, a development executive said Tuesday.

Rex Rice, project manager for RealtyLink, the development company, said the Dick’s Sporting Goods and T.J. Maxx stores should be ready for those retailers by late spring or summer, and six other stores—Electronic Express, Maurice’s, PetSmart, Rack Room Shoes, Rue 21, and Ulta—should be ready by summer.

Rice gave a brief project update during a Tuesday morning Rise and Shine event sponsored by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce at TNBank.

Here are photos from the Tuesday morning update and from Main Street Oak Ridge on Tuesday. [Read more…]

Centrus donates precision surface plate to Roane State

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

surface_plate_donation

A precision surface plate donated by Centrus Energy will be used in Roane State’s planned welding program. From left are Keith Barding and Ben Jordan with Centrus Energy and Roane State dean Markus Pomper. (Photo by Roane State)

 

Centrus Energy of Oak Ridge has donated a precision surface plate for use in Roane State Community College’s planned welding certificate program.

The granite surface plate is needed for taking precise measurements. The surface plate, which is kept in a classroom at the college’s Oak Ridge campus, is valued at approximately $10,000 and weighs about 3,000 pounds.

“Centrus has assisted us in many ways as we planned our welding certificate program,” said Markus Pomper, dean of Roane State’s Mathematics and Sciences Division. “They have helped us design the curriculum and provided us with resources such as the surface plate. We are incredibly appreciative of their efforts to help us create a high-quality welding certificate program.”

Pomper said Roane State’s planned welding certificate program, pending approval, will be a one-semester program. The training is needed in Oak Ridge, Pomper said, where work on projects such as the Uranium Processing Facility requires welders with advanced skills. [Read more…]

New stores at Main Street Oak Ridge could be complete by late spring, summer

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

main-street-oak-ridge-central-area-nov-1-2016-slider

Eight new stores at Main Street Oak Ridge could be ready by late spring or summer, a development executive said Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016. This photo was taken from near Belk and the former Sears store, looking toward JCPenney. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

rex-rice-main-street-oak-ridge-nov-1-2016-web

Rex Rice, RealtyLink project manager (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Eight new stores at Main Street Oak Ridge could be ready by late spring or summer, a development executive said Tuesday.

Rex Rice, project manager for RealtyLink, the development company, said the Dick’s Sporting Goods and T.J. Maxx stores should be ready for those retailers by late spring or summer, and six other stores—Electronic Express, Maurice’s, PetSmart, Rack Room Shoes, Rue 21, and Ulta—should be ready by summer.

Rice gave a brief project update during a Tuesday morning Rise and Shine event sponsored by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce at TNBank.

As expected, the demolition of the former Oak Ridge Mall was complete in about three months. Only Belk and JCPenney remain, and both are open.

“We tore down everything between them,” Rice said. That included the former Goody’s Family Clothing and Sears department stores.

Demolition cost about $1 million, Rice said. [Read more…]

Chamber’s Primetime networking event is Thursday, public invited

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Members of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce exhibit at the 2015 Primetime Tailgate Party. This year's event will take place on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, from 4-6 p.m. in the Chamber's parking lot. The public is invited to attend. (Submitted photo)

Members of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce exhibit at the 2015 Primetime Tailgate Party. This year’s event will take place on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, from 4-6 p.m. in the Chamber’s parking lot. The public is invited to attend. (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Fall Primetime networking event is Thursday, November 3.

More than 50 Chamber-member organizations have already reserved exhibit space for the event, which is titled “Primetime Tailgate Party,” a press release said.

The event will be held from 4-6 p.m. 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. Anyone—Chamber member or not—is encouraged to attend. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Chamber’s Christmas Parade will be Dec. 10

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge float in the 2015 Oak Ridge Christmas Parade. This year's parade will be held on Saturday, December 10, 2016. The theme is "Jingle All the Way." (Photo by Ray Smith)

The Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge float in the 2015 Oak Ridge Christmas Parade. This year’s parade will be held on Saturday, December 10, 2016. The theme is “Jingle All the Way.” (Photo by Ray Smith)

 

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas Parade will be Saturday, December 10.

This year’s theme is “Jingle All the Way,” and it promises to provide spectators with plenty of music, lights, and beautiful floats, a press release said. More than 50 businesses and community organizations have already registered their entries for the parade.

The sponsor of this year’s parade is The Cowperwood Company. There is no cost to participate.

The Chamber will be accepting entries online through Monday, December 5. Register by visiting the Chamber’s website at www.oakridgechamber.org. [Read more…]

Gem Show at Karen’s Jewelers this week to feature 60,000 rough, cut gemstones

Posted at
By 1 Comment

miner-with-gary-bowersox

Gary Bowersox, right, joins a miner at a Colombia emerald mine after lecturing at the First International Emerald Symposium there. (Submitted photo)

 

Explorer and gem hunter Gary Bowersox will bring a Smithsonian-style gem show to Karen’s Jewelers this week that will feature more than 60,000 rough and cut gemstones and jewelry. The show will feature many new cut gems, including finished jewelry pieces of Afghanistan emerald, Tajikistan ruby, and Vietnam aquamarine.

The gem show, “Magnificent Gemstones of the World,” will be presented from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, October 27 and 28, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, October 29, at Karen’s Jewelers, which is at 1120 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The Lady of the Nile aquamarine, a designer piece valued at $86,000, will be among one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry at the show, which will include gems valued from $5 to $100,000. Bowersox purchased the rough aquamarine at Thuong Xuan, Vietnam, then took it to fourth-generation carver Uli Pauly in Germany for carving in the Egyptian theme. Jewelry designer Gregg Crawford finished the piece, which is set in an 18-carat gold Egyptian motif with 12 platinum prongs surrounded by three Afghanistan emeralds and 1.14 carats of fine diamonds.

Besides emerald, ruby, and aquamarine, the exhibit includes garnet, tourmaline, lapis lazuli, amethyst, topaz, sapphire, and kunzite. The exhibit features gems often seen only in museums. [Read more…]

Main Street Oak Ridge: New main entrance being built at Belk

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

new-belk-entrance-2-main-street-oak-ridge-oct-18-2016

A new main entrance is being built at the Belk department store in Oak Ridge as part of Main Street Oak Ridge, the 58-acre project the redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall, which has now been demolished. The Belk entrance work is pictured above on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A new main entrance is being built at the Belk department store as part of Main Street Oak Ridge, the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall, which has now been demolished.

The new main entrance will face Rutgers Avenue, toward where the mall’s enclosed space used to be.

Belk is also getting a facelift and other work. It includes roof work; exterior painting; and work on the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system.

Four stores will be built on the south side of Belk as part of Main Street Oak Ridge. The four stores are Maurice’s, Rack Room Shoes, Rue 21, and Ulta. [Read more…]

Ruby Tuesday demolished for Panda Express, retail shops

Posted at
By 1 Comment

ruby-tuesday-demolition-2-oct-14-2016

Demolition work continued on the former Ruby Tuesday restaurant on South Illinois Avenue on Friday, Oct. 14, 2016, to make way for a Panda Express and retail space. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The former Ruby Tuesday restaurant has been demolished to make way for a Panda Express and retail shops on South Illinois Avenue.

A site plan for the Panda Express restaurant and retail development has been reviewed by the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission.

Panda Express will be on the one-third of the subdivided Ruby Tuesday property that is closest to the Subway on South Illinois Avenue, said Ray Evans, the city’s retail consultant. The developer is Rudd Seeley Wallis LLC. That’s the Nashville company that developed the shopping center on South Illinois Avenue that includes Chipotle, Aspen Dental, and Pie Five Pizza,

The other two-thirds of the former Ruby Tuesday property is expected to include about 6,500 square feet of retail space. That’s about 40 percent the size of the Chipotle/Pie Five shopping center, Evans said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Chamber to host City Council forum on Tuesday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s Advocacy Committee is hosting its final forum of the 2016 election season. The forum for candidates running for Oak Ridge City Council will be held at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, October 18, in the Joyce Conference Room at the Chamber, which is at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The forum is free, and the public is encouraged to attend. All candidates for City Council—Jim Dodson, Wende Doolittle, Anne Garcia Garland, Chuck Hope, Joe Lee, Mark LeNoir, and Hans Vogel—have indicated their intention to participate in the forum, a press release said. [Read more…]

Photos: LeMond Composites opening celebration

Posted at
By 2 Comments

lemond-composites-ceremony-2-oct-12-2016-web

Greg LeMond, center, three-time Tour de France champion, celebrated the opening of LeMond Composites, a new company he co-founded, during a ceremony on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 12, 2016, at Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge. The company is expected to make composite bicycles and carbon fiber, and invest $125 million and create 242 new jobs. Behind LeMond is Nicolas Wegener, LeMond Composites chief operating officer. At left is Thomas Zacharia, ORNL deputy director for science and technology. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A new company co-founded by Greg LeMond, a three-time Tour de France champion, will make composite bicycles and carbon fiber for other products in Oak Ridge, and the business, called LeMond Composites, will invest $125 million and create 242 new jobs, officials said during a Wednesday afternoon ceremony. Here are photos from the ceremony. [Read more…]

LeMond Composites to make carbon fiber, composite bicycles—invest $125 million, create 242 jobs

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

lemond-composites-greg-lemond-2-oct-12-2016-web

Greg LeMond, three-time Tour de France champion, celebrated the opening of LeMond Composites, a new company he co-founded, during a ceremony on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 12, 2016, at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge. The company is expected to make composite bicycles and carbon fiber, and invest $125 million and create 242 new jobs. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A new company co-founded by Greg LeMond, a three-time Tour de France champion, will make composite bicycles and carbon fiber for other products in Oak Ridge, and the business, called LeMond Composites, will invest $125 million and create 242 new jobs, officials said during a Wednesday afternoon ceremony.

Among the officials celebrating the opening on Wednesday were LeMond, and Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd.

Carbon fiber has advantageous properties, but cost has been a barrier to using it, said Connie Jackson, chief executive officer of LeMond Composites. She said the manufacturing process has been changed to reduce production cost.

“We have overcome a significant part of the cost barrier,” Jackson said.

Carbon fiber is light, stiff, and strong, making it the perfect material for advanced composites in a variety of applications. It can be used to improve efficiency, save energy, and build or repair vehicles and planes, wind turbines and containers, and bridges and tunnels. [Read more…]