A city contractor is completing work on new flashing warning signs on Melton Lake Drive at three pedestrian crossings near the Oak Ridge Marina on Melton Lake Drive. The three crossings are at Amanda Drive, Rivers Run Boulevard, and just west of Emory Valley Road.
The flashing beacons could be become operational Thursday, a city press release said. The beacons are activated by a push button and will flash for a short period of time, allowing pedestrians to cross the street. [Read more…]
Mark Watson
The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday gave initial approval to a budget that does not raise property taxes but could be amended.
Council members Trina Baughn and Chuck Hope proposed amendments that could be considered during a special meeting before second and final reading of the budget on May 28.
The budget presented by City Manager Mark Watson on Monday would give city employees a 1 percent pay raise, cut funding for the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, and change the city’s contract with the Chamber of Commerce. [Read more…]
Mark Watson
The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider a budget that does not raise property taxes but could cut funding for the Chamber of Commerce as well as the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
It would include contracts with economic development consultants Ray Evans and Steve Jones and a 1 percent cost-of-living pay raise for city employees.
Under the budget proposed by Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, the property tax rate would stay at $2.39 per $100 of assessed value. [Read more…]
Trina Baughn
Note: This story was updated at 11:38 p.m.
Oak Ridge City Council member Trina Baughn has proposed that the city sell Centennial Golf Course, and terminate the lease agreement with the Chamber of Commerce and sell the property.
Those proposals would convert city-owned assets into taxable properties, Baughn said.
Baughn has also asked the seven-member Council to consider setting up a team that could negotiate voluntary payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreements with tax-exempt organizations that “are most able to afford paying for city services that are currently paid for by the taxpayer.” Those organizations could include Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Utility District, Tech 2020, Roane State Community College, and the University of Tennessee, Baughn said in a May 5 e-mail to Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson and City Clerk Diana Stanley. [Read more…]
The third week of the city’s annual brush pickup schedule is as follows: [Read more…]
Plans call for converting the Alexander Inn, formerly known as The Guest House, into an assisted living center.
It’s been in the works for months, and officials announced on Tuesday that a local company has purchased the historic but rundown Alexander Inn.
Family Pride Corp. plans to convert the vacant two-story hotel into an assisted living center.
The sale was announced by the East Tennessee Preservation Alliance, a key player in the project. A press release said the agreement announced Tuesday includes a preservation easement with ETPA that will ensure the building is protected forever. [Read more…]
The city’s annual brush pickup program started Monday, April 29.
The second week starts this Monday, and here is the schedule: [Read more…]
The city-wide brush pickup program for Oak Ridge begins Monday, April 29. City collection efforts will follow the accompanying schedule as closely as possible. The schedule is a general guide and can vary considerably due to weather conditions and/or the amount of participation by residents.
The city asks residents to follow a few guidelines: [Read more…]
Local and state officials joined business executives and German officials at a Thursday ribbon-cutting ceremony for a 50 kilowatt photovoltaic solar array at Heritage Center.
Note: This story was updated at 9:25 a.m. April 29.
A Tennessee solar company and the German Energy Agency, or dena, celebrated their first U.S. solar project Thursday, a 50 kilowatt photovoltaic solar array at Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge.
The array includes seven ground-mounted trackers that are 20 feet high. They each include 28-30 solar panels. The trackers adjust themselves to capture the most sunlight, using two sensors each to adjust from east to west and tilting up and down.
It’s a public-private partnership involving dena and Vis Solis LLC of Franklin, Tenn., a subsidiary of Vis Solis GmbH in Breesen, Germany. Also involved is German manufacturer DEGERenergie.
It’s a $250,000 to $300,000 investment, said Carlos Mayer, Vis Solis chief executive officer. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Public Works Department will be doing routine flushing of the water system starting April 29 and continuing through about June 1.
The flushing will be performed between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Residents in the areas being flushed may not want to wash laundry during those hours since the flushing may cause temporary discoloration of the water during the process. [Read more…]
Mark Watson
The budget proposed by Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson on Monday would not raise property taxes, but it would slash funding for the Chamber of Commerce, and Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The ORCVB funding could be cut from $410,000 to $300,000, Watson told City Council members during a Monday night work session. The city needs “more heads in beds,” more people staying here and more events, Watson said.
The chamber’s contract with the city is now worth about $260,000. The city could instead use $125,000 for funding of services and projects—sending city officials on recruiting trips, for example—and spend $55,000 on memberships in organizations such as the Roane Alliance and Anderson County Economic Development Association. [Read more…]
Mark Watson
The city manager will present his proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 during a work session at 7 p.m. today in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom.
The budget presentation had earlier been scheduled for May 6, but it has been changed due to scheduling conflicts, a city press release said. [Read more…]
