Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge property tax bills delivered

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Oak Ridge announced on Monday that all property tax bills have been mailed and should have been delivered to property owners for the year.

The taxes go to support the operation of many city services, from street maintenance to the library, a city press release said. The Oak Ridge police and fire departments, refuse removal and disposal, recreation and parks, and many other city activities are also supported by the property tax. A portion of the tax also goes to support the Oak Ridge School system. [Read more…]

Volunteer Day at Oak Ridge Animal Shelter on Saturday

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Oak Ridge Animal Shelter

The Oak Ridge Animal Shelter on Belgrade Road is pictured above.

More pets go missing around July 4 than at any other time of year, and noisy fireworks are to blame.

While many of us enjoy the sights and sounds of big fireworks, our pets are often terrified by the loud noises and can become frantic and run away, trying to find a safe haven. According to national statistics, animal control officials across the country see a 30-60 percent increase in lost pets each year from July 4-6.

Julie Armes, the supervisor for the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter, said July 5 is their busiest day of the year.

“People are coming in or calling, looking for their lost pets or bringing in pets they’ve found,” Armes said. “Sadly, many pet owners never come in to retrieve their dogs or cats.” [Read more…]

Council to discuss electronic signs, land banks, mall partnership

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Rivers Total Car Care Electronic Sign

The Oak Ridge City Council will discuss proposed changes to the city’s electronic sign ordinance during a Monday evening work session. Pictured above is Toney Stevens of Rivers Total Car Care, who has participated in the discussion.

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will discuss a proposed ordinance that would prohibit animated video and scrolling messages on electronic signs.

Council will also discuss economic development options related to a public-private partnership on Oak Ridge Mall properties, and commercial and industrial areas of the city.

During a non-voting work session Monday night, Council will also hear a presentation on land bank legislation. The work session starts at 7 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room at the Central Services Complex on Woodbury Lane. [Read more…]

IDB to discuss contract on Bethel Valley lot, agreement with Chamber

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The Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board on Monday will discuss a contract to purchase a lot in the Bethel Valley Industrial Park and an agreement with the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.

The IDB meets at 4 p.m. Monday in the Municipal Building Training Room.

State approves city’s application for $18 million in low-interest loans for sewer repairs

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In February, the Oak Ridge City Council approved the borrowing of $18 million in low-interest state loans to help pay for a $23 million project to fix the municipal sewer system.

On Wednesday, Tennessee officials announced that the loans had been approved. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Chamber will lay off some workers, Economic Partnership to become dormant

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Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will lay off some employees, and its support corporation, the Oak Ridge Economic Partnership, will become dormant.

Its funding has been cut, and the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is laying off some employees, an official said Monday.

It will be a smaller organization, and the Chamber’s support corporation, the Oak Ridge Economic Partnership, will become dormant, its work absorbed by the Chamber, said Parker Hardy, president and chief executive officer of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.

Hardy declined to name the employees who will be laid off or say how many workers might be affected, although he said the information could be shared later. [Read more…]

Organizers could consider separate weekends for Secret City, Lavender festivals

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Crowd at Secret City Festival

Thousands of people enjoy the Secret City Festival each year, including the Friday and Saturday night concerts.

Most years, the Secret City and Lavender festivals fall on the same weekend in June.

This year, due to the way they’re scheduled, the two festivals landed on separate weekends. And that gave organizers an opportunity to see how the festivals would do on separate weekends.

[Read more…]

Parks director explains change from WWII re-enactments to ‘living history’ at Secret City Festival

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World War II Re-enactment at Secret City Festival

The Secret City Festival has previously included one of the largest World War II re-enactments in the South, pictured above, but organizers changed this year to a “Salute to Soldiers” program. (Archive photo)

It had been one of the largest World War II re-enactments in the South, featuring close to 200 people in a dozen 1940s-era vehicles at the annual Secret City Festival.

An estimated 5,000 to 7,000 spectators watched the two mock battles at Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge each year as British and American forces fought and defeated German military personnel.

But this year, the two-day festival did not include the re-enactments. They were replaced by a new “Salute to Soldiers” program that featured World War II living history activities and demonstrations. That program included period military camps, vehicles, equipment, and demonstrations, as well as educational displays. [Read more…]

Rick Springfield concert the largest ever for Secret City Festival

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Rick Springfield at Secret City Festival

The Rick Springfield concert at the Secret City Festival on Saturday was the largest ever for the annual festival, an organizer said.

The Rick Springfield concert at the Secret City Festival on Saturday night was the largest ever for the annual two-day festival, an organizer said.

Final numbers weren’t available Saturday night, but total ticket sales could be somewhere around 3,000, said Joye Montgomery, head of entertainment and tickets and the Secret City Festival representative for the Arts Council of Oak Ridge.

“This is the biggest concert ever,” Montgomery said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools opens new Data Center

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Oak Ridge Schools Data Center

Oak Ridge Schools recently opened a new Data Center at Oak Ridge High School, a press release said.

The Data Center will house all of the critical systems used to operate Oak Ridge Schools, including phones, e-mail, Internet access, and file storage, the release said. It will also serve as a connection point for the new, joint schools and city fiber project that will provide high-speed access to both the schools’ and the city’s operations.

The new facility will also allow for the consolidation of equipment previously stored at individual school buildings, the release said. [Read more…]

IDB endorses project to add power at Horizon Center, subject to TVA grant

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With a pre-application deadline this Wednesday, the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board agreed last week to commit $750,000 to a project to increase the electrical capacity at Horizon Center Business Park if the city gets a matching grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The project, which would add 14 megawatts to the park’s electrical capacity with the potential to add more later, would extend power from a substation on Blair Road in west Oak Ridge to the edge of Lot 5 on the back side of Horizon Center. It would install 13 kilovolt lines on poles that could hold 69 kilovolt lines later. [Read more…]

Secret City Festival announces new concert security measures

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James T. Akagi

James T. Akagi

The Secret City Festival will have tighter security at the Friday and Saturday night concerts this year, and visitors could experience a few delays as organizers try to make the shows safer, a press release said.

No backpacks or coolers will be allowed into the concert site, and all bags will be subject to search, the release said.

“In light of recent events, we’re being extra vigilant in our protection of our attendees, staff, and the community during the festival concerts,” Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi said. [Read more…]