Oak Ridge Today

Secrecy, security, spies program at Turnpike Gatehouse on Saturday

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The Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse is pictured above on the west end of town. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse is pictured above on the west end of town. (Submitted photo)

 

A Manhattan Project National Historical Park program in west Oak Ridge on Saturday will give visitors some insight into what life was like in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project with all the security, the need for secrecy, and the worrying about spies.

The program is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, September 10, at the Turnpike Gatehouse. It’s free and open to the public. Parking is limited, so please try to carpool if possible. The gatehouse is also at a trail head for the North Boundary Greenway, and visitors can go for a self-guided hike after the program.

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park was established in November 2015. It includes Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico. The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II, before Germany could. Oak Ridge was a production site for the project, and at the time, it was a secret city not shown on maps. [Read more…]

Kirby named superintendent of Manhattan Project National Historical Park

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Kris Kirby

Kris Kirby (NPS photo)

Kris Kirby, a 20-year career employee of the National Park Service, has been selected as superintendent of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge.

The announcement was made in Denver on Thursday by Intermountain Regional Director Sue Masica.

Kirby will assume her new duties October 16, 2016.

Kirby currently serves as the chief of business and revenue management at Yosemite National Park in California. Prior to her assignment there, she served as chief of commercial services at Lake Mead National Recreation Area and previously worked in concessions management at Glacier National Park, a press release said.

“Kris has spent her career fostering relationships inside and outside the service,” Masica said in the press release. “Those skills are an excellent match for this park and its many partners.” [Read more…]

Manhattan Project program: Bike with a ranger on Melton Lake Greenway on Sept. 24

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Manhattan Project National Historical Park Bike with a Ranger

You can join a National Park Service ranger for a bike ride down beautiful Melton Lake Greenway on Saturday, September 24, a press release said. (Submitted photo)

 

You can join a National Park Service ranger for a bike ride down beautiful Melton Lake Greenway on a Saturday in September, a press release said.

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will present the free program at 10 a.m. Saturday, September 24. The program will begin at Elza Gate Park, the former entry point to the once-secret city now known as Oak Ridge, and continue down Melton Lake Greenway. Rangers will stop several times along the bike ride to point out the rich history that is found within the Oak Ridge area, the press release said.

Elza Gate Park is located at 101 Oak Ridge Turnpike in east Oak Ridge, just east of Melton Lake Drive. Maps are available at the National Park desk in the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge, or you can call (865) 576-6767. [Read more…]

Opinion: Alexander discusses ETTP demolition, development; Oak Ridge cleanup work

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Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

By Lamar Alexander

This week marked the end of an era. The last of the five uranium enrichment buildings in Oak Ridge has been cleaned up, making land available for new companies and new jobs coming to East Tennessee.

Tennessee should be extremely proud of the men and women who have worked for more than a decade to complete the demolition and cleanup at the East Tennessee Technology Park.

The story of how these buildings first came to be built is by now a familiar one. In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Senator Kenneth McKellar, the Tennessean who chaired the Appropriations Committee, to hide $2 billion for a secret project to win World War II. McKellar replied, “Mr. President, I have just one question: Where in Tennessee do you want me to hide it?”

They hid it in Oak Ridge, on 2,200 acres along the Clinch River, where they quietly built K-25, the largest building in the world, to enrich uranium through gaseous diffusion—a complicated and now mostly obsolete process. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Symphony to start season with new music, national park celebration

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Oak-Ridge-Symphony-Orchestra-Strings

Part of the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra string section is pictured above. (Photo courtesy ORCMA)

 

The Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra will kick off its new season in September with new music by East Tennessee composer Mark Harrell and a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.

The concert is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, September 24, at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center. It’s the 72nd season for the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association. The Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra will be led by Music Director Dan Allcott.

The concert, titled “Pride of Place,” is a celebration of Oak Ridge, especially recognizing the scientists and immigrants who founded this community, a press release said.

Commissioned by the JAZ Fund, Harrell’s “π to the Sky: Tribute to Discovery” is a celebration of the post-World War II generation of Oak Ridge scientists and their numerous accomplishments. The concert will also celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service with Peter Boyer’s moving narrated work, “Ellis Island: The Dream of America.” [Read more…]

Learn about MORE2, free energy-efficiency upgrades, in meetings tonight, Wednesday

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MORE2 Home Improvements Quilliams Heat Pump July 20 2016

Brittany Quilliams of Oak Ridge stands next to a new heat pump installed as part of the Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient program, which is funded by a $2.9 million Tennessee Valley Authority grant announced in September 2015. Quilliams’ home on Bunker Lane is one of the first three improved in Oak Ridge, and she shared her story with media and officials on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient is hosting public education meetings tonight and Wednesday for residents to learn about the program, which is also known as MORE2, and ways they might lower their energy use.

MORE2, funded by the Tennessee Valley Authority, kicked off in April and began retrofitting the homes of lower-income Oak Ridge residents with free energy-efficient upgrades, such as HVAC and water heating units, a press release said.

“In addition to retrofitting homes, MORE2 is working to empower people in the Oak Ridge community with energy efficiency education, ultimately leading to lower electric bills and a healthier environment,” the press release said. “Qualified homes must be at least 20 years old and have electric heat.” [Read more…]

White House recognizes Vaughan as outstanding ORHS math teacher

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Elaine Vaughan

Elaine Vaughan

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4:30 p.m.

Elaine Vaughan of Oak Ridge High School was recognized Monday as an outstanding math teacher by President Barack Obama.

Vaughan is one of only 213 mathematics and science teachers from across the country and U.S. territories who received the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

The awardees represent all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity schools. The educators will receive their awards at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on September 8.

Vaughan was named in the Grades 7-12 Award Cohort.

Nicole Resmondo, a science teacher at Gresham Middle School in Knoxville, was named in the Grades K-6 Award Cohort.

A total of four teachers were recognized in Tennessee in the two cohorts.  [Read more…]

Knoxville Film Festival to screen ‘The Clinton 12’

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The Clinton 12

The Fourth Annual Knoxville Film Festival will present a special screening of the acclaimed documentary film “The Clinton 12” on Sunday, August 28, at 3 p.m. at the Regal Downtown West Cinema 8 in Knoxville. The screening is in honor of the 60th anniversary of the integration of Clinton High School in Clinton and the 10th anniversary of both the film and the opening of the Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton.

Narrated by award-winning actor James Earl Jones, “The Clinton 12” tells the compelling story of the integration of the first public high school in the South as a result of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, a press release said. The title refers to the 12 black teenagers who, in the fall of 1956, were forced to attend the all-white high school in Clinton, Tennessee.

“The Knoxville Film Festival is proud to bring this story to our audience,” said Keith McDaniel, director of “The Clinton 12” and co-founder/executive director of the Knoxville Film Festival. “This has been, and continues to be, an important story about courage and determination. We want to make sure all East Tennesseans have an opportunity to see this film, and it is our pleasure to honor those who carried the torch of equality and changed our nation.” [Read more…]

Manhattan Project public program: Jackson Square, the city center, on Aug. 27

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Historic Jackson Square

Historic Jackson Square is pictured above. (Photo courtesy National Park Service)

 

Join a park ranger for a walk through Jackson Square. Manhattan Project National Historical Park will present a free program on Saturday morning, August 27, at 10 a.m. in Jackson Square in Oak Ridge. The program will begin in the upper parking lot of Jackson Square in front of the fountain.

During the program, park rangers will discuss how routine, tradition, and the comforts of home helped keep Oak Ridge residents focus on the mission and not their hardships, a press release said.

“We will walk to the Alexander Inn Guest House and the Chapel on the Hill during the program,” the release said.

Jackson Square is located three blocks north of the Oak Ridge Turnpike on Broadway Avenue.  If you need directions, maps are available at the National Park desk in the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge or you can call (865) 576-6767. [Read more…]

Free energy efficiency program has educational classes starting Thursday

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MORE2 Logo

The Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient, or MORE2, program will begin hosting classes that are aimed at educating homeowners on cost effective ways they can make energy-saving improvements to their homes.

The first class is scheduled from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, August 11, in the Oak Ridge Civic Center Recreation Building—AB Room.

Attendees will get an overview of the MORE2 program and how to register as well as information on ways to lower energy consumption at zero cost to homeowners, a press release said. It will also cover “invisible” areas of the home that may need energy efficiency upgrades.

Those interested in applying can bring the following items with them to the class: [Read more…]

Temporary road closures at Melton Hill Recreation Area

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The Tennessee Valley Authority will be making road and parking improvements at Melton Hill Recreation Area, some of which will require changes in traffic patterns during the work, a press release said.

Beginning Saturday, August 6, TVA crews will be conducting road and parking improvements along Melton Hill Dam Road and the recreation access road off Highway 95.

The work will take place daily from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m., weather permitting. [Read more…]

After 80 years, Norris Dam added to National Register of Historic Places

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TVA-Norris-Dam-National-Register-of-Historic-Places-1

TVA’s Norris Dam was named to the National Register of Historic Places—just in time for the 80th anniversary of the day the dam began operations. TVA celebrated July 28-30, 2016. Norris is the first TVA-built dam to achieve this honor, which was presented to TVA historian Pat Ezzell, left, by U. S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann at a special dinner held at the dam on Thursday, July 28, 2016. (Photo by Tennessee Valley Authority)

 

By Tennessee Valley Authority

One of East Tennessee’s most iconic energy sources, and a popular tourist and recreation destination, is officially now a protected American historic resource.

The National Park Service has added majestic Norris Dam, which extends 1,860 feet across the Clinch River in East Tennessee, to the National Register of Historic Places.

U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann presented TVA Historian Pat Ezzell the plaque that will be prominently displayed at Norris Dam. Fleischmann bestowed the plaque at a July 28 dinner that celebrated the 80th anniversary of initial operation of TVA’s first hydro project.

Norris Dam is the first TVA dam to receive recognition on the National Registry. It and the nearby town of Norris both are named for George Norris, the Nebraska senator who authored the TVA Act. He also is known as the father of the Tennessee Valley Authority. [Read more…]