Oak Ridge Today

Community open house scheduled as part of Public Works Week

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The Oak Ridge Central Services Complex is pictured above. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Central Services Complex is pictured above. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Public Works Department and Public Works Employee Relations Committee is having a Public Works Community Open House and Touch-the-Truck event on Thursday, May 25.

The event will be held in recognition of Public Works Week in the City of Oak Ridge and National Public Works Week (May 21-27). The open house will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Central Services Complex, which is located at 100 Woodbury Lane.

“The purpose is to provide an event at which the community can learn about all the different divisions that make up the Public Works Department,” a press release said. “Public Works is much more than just water and sewer services. They are, in short, the people who maintain and improve the systems and services vital to the city’s health, safety, and comfort. Those systems and public services include, but are not limited to, water distribution, sewer collection, water and wastewater treatment, street, sidewalk, and storm drain repair and maintenance, stormwater management, public building maintenance and management, snow removal, and city fleet maintenance.” [Read more…]

Community development director retiring at end of July

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Kathryn Baldwin, Oak Ridge community development director, will retire at the end of July.

Baldwin announced her retirement in an email that was sent to members of the Oak Ridge Land Bank, the Oak Ridge Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals, and the Oak Ridge Board of Zoning Appeals on Thursday.

“I wanted to personally inform you that I’ve decided to retire at the end of July,” Baldwin said. “For 16 years, it has been my pleasure to serve the men and women who sit on boards that represent the City of Oak Ridge. Each of you bring a unique perspective to actions taken by our individual boards and commissions. In addition, you do so with an unsurpassed commitment to ethics, creativity, respect, and the health and wellbeing of the Oak Ridge community. The fact that you have put your faith in me and the Community Development staff has been a personal honor. I look forward to watching the City of Oak Ridge grow and prosper under your leadership.” [Read more…]

MORE2 provides much-needed home energy improvements to Oak Ridge home

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MORE2 logo

Submitted

Oak Ridge resident Peggy Brummett is just one of many happy participants in the MORE2 Program offered in our community and she urges others to apply.

“I would highly recommend this to anyone!” Brummett said in a recent interview. “I don’t understand why there aren’t a whole lot more Oak Ridgers applying. It’s made a huge difference in our home.”

Brummett applied for the MORE2 program, hoping it would help with her utility bills and, more importantly, with her peace of mind.

“I can now sleep better knowing I can rely on our heat or air conditioning and knowing it won’t cost us so much in the future,” Brummett said. “And as a bonus, there is less dust in our house.”

She suspected her old heating, ventilation, and air conditioner (HVAC) wasn’t working effectively, and her utility bills were proof she was correct. Her home was losing a great deal of costly energy due to air leakage, inadequate insulation, and the poorly working HVAC unit.

At no cost, the MORE2 Program provided a new HVAC unit, new insulated ductwork, and performed air sealing throughout the home. Brummett is recently retired from a large retail establishment in Oak Ridge, where she worked in customer service. Having worked in customer service, she knows good service when she sees it and commented on the program. [Read more…]

City Blueprint: Discussion continues at Woodland Open House on Monday, May 15

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Woodland Open House Flyer May 15 2017

The Oak Ridge Community Development Department is continuing the Oak Ridge City Blueprint effort with a discussion focused on the Woodland neighborhood. An open house will be held between 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday, May 15, at Woodland Elementary School to gather additional community feedback, a press release said.

Families living in the area are encouraged to attend and provide their ideas and suggestions for how the neighborhood can be made even better. Those attending can come and go anytime during the open house to share their thoughts with City staff.

The blueprint is being coordinated by the Community Development Department, with input from the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission, as well as other boards, commissions, and City leaders, the press release said. Once finished, the blueprint will be a guiding document that provides direction for future growth, development, and decision-making. [Read more…]

Friends of Oak Ridge Library have book sale May 11-14

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Friends of the Oak Ridge Public Library will have its Spring 2017 Book Sale May 11-14 in the Oak Ridge Public Library Auditorium.

The sale will include fiction and nonfiction books, magazines, audiovisual materials, and other publications covering almost every subject, a press release said. A few non-publication items will also be available. Most titles are 50 cents or $1 each. Titles withdrawn from the Library are half-price Thursday through Saturday. The Silent Auction begins on Thursday evening and ends at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Thursday evening from 5 to 7:30 p.m. is a preview sale for members. Memberships will be available at the door ($5 per individual, and $10 per family). (Scanning devices cannot be used during the preview sale on Thursday.) [Read more…]

Sewer line cleaning scheduled to start April 24, continue through mid-June

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The Oak Ridge Public Works Department was scheduled to start cleaning sewer lines throughout the city on Monday, April 24, and continue the work through mid-June.

The project may cause traffic delays as roads and intersections could be temporarily closed during the cleaning process, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.

Crews will be focusing on the area above Oak Ridge Turnpike and below West Outer Drive, concentrating mainly on Louisiana Avenue, Robertsville Road, and side streets, the press release said. [Read more…]

Sewer line repair begins on North Purdue on Monday

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Beginning Monday, May 1, Hurst Excavating, a contractor for the Oak Ridge Public Works Department, will be repairing a sewer line on North Purdue Avenue in the area behind ORNL Federal Credit Union. The project is expected to continue through Friday, May 12.

This work may cause traffic delays as roads and intersections could be temporarily closed during the repair. Please use extreme care and caution, allowing extra time when driving in this area, the city said.

Questions can be directed to the Public Works information line at (865) 425-1875 or submitted through email to PubWorksDis@OakRidgeTN.gov.

Land Bank perspective on Oak Ridge housing to be discussed Tuesday

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Charlie Jernigan July 11 2016

Charlie Jernigan, chair of the Oak Ridge Land Bank Corp. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

“Housing in Oak Ridge is a topic of great interest for a large and diverse group of people as well as government and business entities,” said Charlie Jernigan. “To really understand what is happening with housing, it is important to know its status now, the important entities involved, and the game plans going forward.”

Jernigan will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League on Tuesday, May 2, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

“Now is an exciting time for Oak Ridge, with growth and positive change in many different arenas,” Jernigan said. “Housing is one of those areas presenting significant challenges, as well as opportunities for significant improvement. The city has reached a hinge point regarding housing: we have several options for our way forward, and one of these paths will take us where we need to be. Instead of choosing the current route of stagnation and further decay, we can decide to move in the direction of renewal and growth, and blaze a trail of improved housing throughout the city.” [Read more…]

CodeRed alerts can save lives in emergencies, but many residents disconnecting, not answering

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Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley

Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley

The CodeRed Emergency Notification System used by the City of Oak Ridge can be a life-saving tool during an emergency, officials said, but many residents are not answering their phones or they are disconnecting before a pre-recorded message can begin.

This week, the Oak Ridge Fire Department reminded residents that use of the CodeRed Emergency Notification System is important during severe weather.

But a review of past CodeRed notifications found that many residents either did not answer their phone or they disconnected the call before the pre-recorded message could begin, a City of Oak Ridge press release said.

Here’s how CodeRed works, according to the city: If you have a land-line phone at your home or business through AT&T or Comcast, you will automatically receive a call from CodeRed alerting you of a tornado. If the city has a local emergency, the fire department will send an automated call to affected homes and business in order to provide information about the event. These messages can be a life-saving tool in an emergency, the press release said.

“One of the major issues that has come to light following the Sevier County wildfires is the importance of community notification of a pending emergency,” ORFD Chief Darryl Kerley said. “Oak Ridge is not able to use emergency warning sirens to alert the community of fire or tornadoes. The outside emergency alert sirens in Oak Ridge are for U.S. Department of Energy emergencies only, so the fire department subscribes to the CodeRed Emergency Notification System.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge received more than 6.3 inches of rain during storms, city says

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Fallen Tree House April 2017 Storms 1

Oak Ridge received more than 6.3 inches of rain during the storms this past weekend, officials said Monday, April 24, 2017. That amount of rain made the ground extremely soggy and caused large trees to start falling all across the area, the city said. Several homes and cars were damaged, and there were reports of power outages. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

Oak Ridge received more than 6.3 inches of rain during the storms this past weekend, officials said.

That amount of rain made the ground extremely soggy and caused large trees to start falling all across the area, the city said. Several homes and cars were damaged, and there were reports of power outages.

Power was nearly 100 percent restored, but the cleanup was still under way Monday afternoon. [Read more…]

Community forum on immigration is Thursday

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De Ann Pendry

De Ann Pendry

There will be a community forum on immigration in Oak Ridge on Thursday.

A press release said the forum will provide information on how immigration has been affected by current politics and the issue of living without documentation in Oak Ridge.

The main speaker will be De Ann Pendry, a senior lecturer and adjunct assistant professor in anthropology at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

The forum is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27, in the sanctuary at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The forum is free, and the public is invited, the press release said. It’s sponsored by Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge, or WIDOR; Oak Ridge Interfaith Partnership, or ORIP and the League of Women Voters, or LWV. [Read more…]

UT students studied how to use Centennial for more than golf; hear their recommendations Tuesday

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Centennial Golf Course in east Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Centennial Golf Course in east Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

A team of graduate business students at the University of Tennessee have studied ways the city can use Centennial Golf Course for more than just golf, and the students will present their recommendations on Tuesday. The meeting is open to the public.

The graduate students are from UT’s Master of Business Administration, or MBA, program. They will present their recommendations from a recent “Innovations in Practice” project to the City of Oak Ridge at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom.

There has been discussion of how to increase revenues at the golf course, including at Oak Ridge City Council meetings when the city has been asked to provide more money for the golf course.

A press release said the study of Centennial Golf Course took the group of four MBA students approximately seven weeks to complete. [Read more…]