Oak Ridge Today

Council approves water, sewer rate increases

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Oak Ridge City Council

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday approved water and sewer rate increases that will take effect January 2014 and January 2015. (File photo)

There was much opposition online, and in phone calls to city hall, but few public objections to back-to-back utility rate increases at a Monday night Oak Ridge City Council meeting.

The Council voted in two separate 6-1 votes to raise water and sewer rates in January 2014 and again in January 2015. The increases range from 8 percent to 15 percent.

The new rate hikes, which will be considered on second and final reading in October, would result in water bills that could go up by a minimum of $1.35 per month in January 2014 and then another $1.19 per month in 2015. Sewer bills would increase a minimum of $2.78 per month next year and then rise another $2.13 per month the following year. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Public Library offers help with Affordable Care Act

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The Oak Ridge Public Library is joining libraries across the country as the starting point for people who will be participating in the Affordable Care Act.

The Marketplace opens Oct. 1, and it can be accessed through the website www.healthcare.gov. President Obama has called upon libraries with public Internet access to help fill the need of the estimated one in five Americans who do not have Internet access. [Read more…]

Sewer rehab work starting in east Oak Ridge

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Within the next week, residents and businesses located in the east end of Oak Ridge should be receiving an information letter in the mail from the City of Oak Ridge concerning sewer rehabilitation work in the area. The letter is on orange paper and provides general information concerning the sewer work.

Hurst Excavating LLC is currently conducting preconstruction work in the area. This work includes tasks such as locating manholes and walking the terrain of the area, so residents may see workers in their yard or along the greenbelt. [Read more…]

Buying three new fire trucks at once could save money, help training, repairs, chief says

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Oak Ridge Fire Department New Truck

An example of what the new Oak Ridge Fire Department engines could look like. (Photos courtesy ORFD)

Buying three new fire trucks at the same time could save money and make repairs and training easier, a city official said.

Firefighters would only have to train on one truck, rather than on three different versions, and mechanics would only have to learn to fix one, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley told City Council members last week. When ordering parts, mechanics could order multiple replacements and have backups available.

The City Council will consider whether to buy the new fire engines during a 7 p.m. meeting on Monday, Sept. 9. The three new fire engines would replace trucks that are 15 years old and each have about 150,000 miles on them. Those vehicles would be used as reserves. [Read more…]

Council to consider utility rate increases, sewer tanks, new fire trucks

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Emory Valley Road Sewer System Holding Tank

A draft image of what a sewer system holding tank could look like on Emory Valley Road east of the former Daniel Arthur Rehabilitation Center. The proposal could change based upon input from Oak Ridge City Council members. (Images courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Oak Ridge officials are considering utility rate increases that could cost many residents another $6.87 per month, and they have also proposed building three large sewer system holding tanks, including two near busy roadways, in response to a federal order requiring the city to stop all sewer system overflows by September 2015.

Council could consider those proposals, as well as a request to buy three new fire trucks, during its Sept. 9 meeting. [Read more…]

Council approves pedestrian safety projects, Chamber contract

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Oak Ridge City Council

During a special meeting Monday, the Oak Ridge City Council approved pedestrian safety improvement projects on Oak Ridge Turnpike and at Jackson Square, and approved a contract worth up to $175,000 with the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. (File photo)

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday agreed to use more than $500,000 in red light camera money to improve the city-owned parking lot on the north side of Jackson Square and make eight Oak Ridge Turnpike intersections safer for pedestrians.

Council also approved a $175,000 contract with the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, an amount that was down significantly from previous years but higher than what City Manager Mark Watson had originally proposed earlier this year. [Read more…]

No garbage pickup on Labor Day

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Waste Connections Inc. will not pick up refuse or recyclables on Labor Day. Monday’s routes will be picked up on Tuesday, Sept. 3, and subsequent days that week through Saturday. Please have all refuse and recyclables out by 7 a.m.

For additional information, you can contact Waste Connections, Inc. at (865) 482-3656, or visit www.WasteConnectionsTn.com, or the city’s website at www.oakridgetn.gov.

Dog park under construction at Big Turtle Park

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Oak Ridge Dog Park Construction

Construction continues at the dog park at Big Turtle Park in west Oak Ridge. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department)

Construction continues at Petsafe Dog Park located at Big Turtle Park on the west end of Oak Ridge.

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department has posted pictures of the work. They show sign structures, sidewalks, and site improvements that are currently under way.

The dog park construction is being funded by a $100,000 donation from Radio Systems Corp. in Knoxville. [Read more…]

Officials, volunteers celebrate new Cedar Barren kiosk near JMS

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Oak Ridge Cedar Barrens Celebration

Officials and volunteers celebrate a new kiosk with a ribbon-cutting at Oak Ridge Cedar Barrens near Jefferson Middle School on Aug. 17. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Cedar Barren has a new kiosk, thanks to Thomas Crout and his Eagle Scout project. There was a ribbon cutting on Saturday, Aug. 17, followed by a brief interpretive tour and some cleanup work.

Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, this barren is a joint project of the City of Oak Ridge, the State Natural Areas Division, and Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning. This area is one of just a few cedar barrens in East Tennessee.

Children’s Halloween Party scheduled, game booth sponsors needed

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host the 2013 Children’s Halloween Party on Thursday, Oct. 24, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. This annual event will be attended by hundreds of children and their parents. Activities will be planned for every room in the Oak Ridge Civic Center, and a hay ride will be offered in A.K. Bissell Park, weather permitting.

Businesses and organizations are invited to sponsor a game booth for the event. Sponsors will supply two to four volunteers to operate the game throughout the event. The Recreation and Parks department will provide the games and prizes unless sponsors wish to provide their own. Games should be age-appropriate for children age 10 and under. Applications can be emailed or picked up at the Civic Center front desk. [Read more…]

Council to discuss utility rates, consider pedestrian safety

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Oak Ridge City Council

The Oak Ridge City Council will discuss a utility rate review and consider more than $500,000 worth of projects to improve pedestrian safety during a work session and special meeting tonight. (File photo)

The Oak Ridge City Council will consider pedestrian safety projects valued at more than $500,000 and a $175,000 contract with the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce during a special meeting at 8 p.m. today (Monday).

That meeting will follow a non-voting work session that starts at 7 p.m. During the work session, Council will discuss a proposal to a build a storm water holding tank along Emory Valley Road on land that could be donated by Anderson County, hear a presentation on the purchasing and financing of three replacement fire engines, and discuss a utility rate review by Chris Mitchell of Management Consultants LLC. [Read more…]

New service, digital collections at library; DOE, other collections available online

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Y-12 Alpha Type I "D" Unit

A Y-12 Alpha Type I “D” Unit is pictured above. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Public Library)

The Oak Ridge Public Library has announced a new service for the community and new online photograph collections. With Reference by Appointment, individuals can obtain one-on-one, in-depth assistance with research, résumés, or online job applications with a trained professional at no cost.

Anyone may schedule an appointment to meet with a librarian for assistance in the use of the library’s many resources. A librarian can help format résumés, search census records in Heritage Quest, assist with databases searches in Tennessee Electronic Library, suggest research material for a school or work project, and help with basic computer skills. No library card is needed in order to take part in this service. [Read more…]