Oak Ridge Today

City receives $433K grant for traffic signal, pedestrian improvements at two intersections

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Oak-Ridge-Turnpike-South-Tulane-Dec-10-2015

A $433,000 grant awarded to the City of Oak Ridge would be used to make traffic signal and pedestrian improvements at two intersections on Oak Ridge Turnpike, including at South Tulane Avenue. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge has received a $433,000 grant for improvements at two intersections on Oak Ridge Turnpike, one at South Tulane Avenue and the other at East Division Road/Tennyson Road. The improvements, which require a 20 percent local match of roughly $108,000, will include marked crosswalks, ramps, and upgrades to help pedestrians.

The project will include traffic signal and pedestrian feature upgrades at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Tulane Avenue, between the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce and Oak Ridge Municipal Building. The upgrades will include the addition of handicap ramps, crosswalks, countdown pedestrian signals with push buttons, and radar vehicle detection, Oak Ridge Community Development Director Kathryn Baldwin said in a December 1 memo to City Manager Mark Watson. A traffic signal pole will be relocated to avoid conflicts with overhead utilities.

Improvements at East Division Road/Tennyson Road, near Methodist Medical Center, will include the addition of handicap ramps, crosswalks, and countdown pedestrian signals with push buttons and radar vehicle detection. Sidewalks could be added where there are gaps or where new handicap ramps are disconnected from existing sidewalks, Baldwin said. [Read more…]

Council to consider $325,000 for operations at Centennial Golf Course

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Centennial Golf Course Dec 10, 2015

The Tennessee Centennial Golf Course in Oak Ridge is pictured above on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider a $325,000 transfer for operations at Tennessee Centennial Golf Course. If approved, the operating transfer would be the first non-debt related transfer from the city’s General Fund to the Golf Course Fund since the golf course was built, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said.

About $225,000 of the transfer, a cash infusion, would be for outstanding accounts payable. Another $100,000 would be operational funding for the winter, including maintenance of the greens.

The General Fund would still have a balance equivalent to two months of operations after the transfer, Watson said in a memo to City Council members.

Watson said the golf course was affected by several factors this past year, most notably weather. [Read more…]

D. Ray Smith could be named honorary city historian

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Bill Wilcox and Ray Smith

Bill Wilcox, right, and D. Ray Smith are pictured above. Wilcox was city historian before he died in 2013, and Smith, a friend of Wilcox’s, could be named honorary city historian during an Oak Ridge City Council meeting on Monday, Dec. 14, 2015. (Submitted photo)

 

D. Ray Smith, who is known for his love of Oak Ridge history, could be named honorary city historian on Monday.

Among other activities, Smith is historian at the Y-12 National Security Complex, has been a guide on U.S. Department of Energy tour buses at federal sites in Oak Ridge, writes a weekly newspaper history column, testified before Congress on the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, and frequently photographs community events.

The Oak Ridge City Council will consider naming Smith as honorary city historian during a regular meeting on Monday.

Oak Ridge City Council member Charlie Hensley drafted the proposal. He said Smith is also a leader in the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association, has been a featured speaker in talks on Oak Ridge heritage, was central to creating a history center at Y-12’s New Hope Center, and serves in a support role for implementation of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. [Read more…]

She alleges abuse, imprisonment, Sharia law; he cites immigration as possible motive for claims

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The wife of a city employee has alleged that she has essentially been held captive in a home that operates under Sharia law, been physically abused, not allowed to work or go to school, and deprived of food and medical care.

But her husband, an Oak Ridge Electric Department project manager, said he can prove that the charges are unfounded. He called the allegations, which were publicized in a newspaper story last month, “salacious accusations.” The allegations sparked a social media backlash against the city employee, Oak Ridge Electric Department Project Manager Ardo Isma Ba.

The Oak Ridge Police Department has investigated some of the allegations against Ba, including the charge that he held his wife, Madina Sall, against her will for the past three years. That information was reported to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, where Ba is a reserve deputy.

Ba was not charged after the investigation. Officers said Sall’s definition of abuse is different than what is defined in Tennessee law. Also, detectives appeared to have questions about the accuracy of some of the information, and they warned Sall of the consequences of reporting false information to law enforcement.

“The matter did appear to be a non-criminal matter due to the initial information given to (the Knox County Sheriff’s Office) not being accurate and no proof that any physical abuse has occurred,” the ORPD said. [Read more…]

City sewer rehab continues in December

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Sewer rehabilitation work continues in Oak Ridge in December. Morgan Contracting, working under contract for the City of Oak Ridge, is rehabilitating sewer collection pipes within city easements in yards and in roadways.

Residents should have already received letters on colored paper (green for Morgan Contracting) and door hangers providing general information and contractor contact information, a press release said.

“Motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists are urged to use extra care and caution when traveling on the streets with sewer work areas,” the release said. “Temporary road repairs will be made, and loose gravel should be expected until the patches are permanently paved.”

The release said construction work is subject to change based on factors like the weather, equipment, and access issues. Here is the construction work that was scheduled for the week beginning November 30: [Read more…]

Oak Ridge has meetings on Dec. 10, 14 for Community Development Block Grant program

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City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee—Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)

Notice of Public Hearings for Potential Projects For Program Year 2016/Fiscal Year 2017

July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017

The City of Oak Ridge will hold two public meetings in the coming weeks to gather community input for activities associated with the Community Development Block Grant program for the 2016 program year.

The funding must meet a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) national objective and benefit low/moderate income individuals.

The first meeting will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church (323 Vermont Avenue) in their Columbus Hall (next to the gym), on Thursday, December 10, from noon to 1:30 p.m. [Read more…]

Senior Citizens Holiday Reception is Friday

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Oak Ridge Senior Center Holiday Party

A previous holiday party at the Oak Ridge Senior Center. (File photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Senior Center is having a Holiday Reception for area senior citizens on Friday, December 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., a press release said.

“Come join us for a light lunch of sandwiches, chips, and cookies as well as holiday music and fellowship,” the release said. “The Senior Center guitar group will be playing live Christmas music. Bingo will be offered, and door prizes given away. Goodie bags will be given out while they last. The event is sponsored by the Oak Ridge Senior Center and made possible by many generous donations from area businesses.”

Like the Oak Ridge Senior Center on Facebook, visit the website at http://orrecparks.oakridgetn.gov/, or call them at (865) 425-3999 for more information about this or other programs offered by the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Updated: Power restored in east Oak Ridge

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Note: This story was updated at 12:48 p.m.

There was a power outage in parts of Rivers Run, along Edgemoor Road, and off of Edgemoor Road, Oak Ridge officials said late Wednesday morning.

But power was restored to residents on the east side of the city early Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

“If you are still are without power, please call the Electric Department at (865) 425-1803,” the City of Oak Ridge said. “Thank you for your patience during this outage.”

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Land Bank ‘ahead of curve’ in repairing, redeveloping blighted homes

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Matt Widner and Charlie Jernigan Nov. 6, 2015

Matt Widner, Oak Ridge Community Development housing specialist, left, and Charlie Jernigan, board chair for the Oak Ridge Land Bank Corp., are pictured above during a housing work session on Friday, Nov. 6, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A two-year-old effort to repair or redevelop blighted and abandoned homes in Oak Ridge is making above-average progress, an official said in November.

The Oak Ridge Land Bank Corporation, the first of its kind in Tennessee, has sold two homes and donated two and has more listed, board chair Charlie Jernigan said.

Other land banks around the country haven’t had any sales until their third year.

“We’re ahead of that curve,” Jernigan said after a November 6 work session on housing at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, the second this year. [Read more…]

Options for county courthouse in Oak Ridge: Extend lease, stay put, move to govt. building

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Anderson-County-General-Sessions-Court-Exterior-Nov-19-2015

The lease on Anderson County General Sessions Court, Division II, on Bus Terminal Road in Oak Ridge expires Dec. 31, but officials will ask for a one-year lease extension while courthouse options are considered. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—Several alternative locations have been proposed, including a city-owned building at A.K. Bissell Park and a county-owned building on Emory Valley Road, but for now, the Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge could remain at a privately owned building on Bus Terminal Road.

Once housed at the Oak Ridge Municipal Building, the General Sessions, Division II, courthouse has been on Bus Terminal Road since January 2009.

But the lease expires December 31.

On Monday, November 16, the Anderson County Commission voted 15-0 on a voice vote to ask for a one-year lease extension with no penalty and to work with Oak Ridge to share courthouse costs.

“That year buys us time to look at all the options,” said County Commissioner Myron Iwanski, who represents District 8, which includes Emory Valley, Woodland, and Hendrix Creek. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Budget, Finance Committee meets Dec. 14

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The Oak Ridge Budget and Finance Committee will meet at 2 p.m. Monday, December 14, in the Mayor’s Office in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building at 200 South Tulane Avenue.

The Budget and Finance Committee consists of City Council members Kelly Callison, Charlie Hensley, and Ellen Smith.

Oak Ridge leaf pickup starts Monday

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The Oak Ridge leaf pickup program starts Monday, November 23. City collection efforts will follow the accompanying schedule as closely as possible. The proposed schedule is a general guide and can vary considerably from the actual schedule due to the amount of leaves and weather conditions, a press release said.

“Residents have always been very cooperative and we ask for their continued cooperation this year by following a few guidelines,” the release said.

  • Residents should place their leaves near, but not beyond, the curb. Leaves must not to be placed on the sidewalk or in the street, parking spaces, or drainage ditches due to posing a pedestrian or traffic hazard and possibly clogging the storm drains. Hazards that are created by improperly placed leaves will be removed by the city at the resident’s expense.
  • Leaves must be free of tree branches and twigs as these can cause the leaf vacuums to clog. Because of their impact on production, leaf piles found to contain these items will not be picked up.
  • All leaves must be placed outside fenced areas. If there is no other location on your property to rake your leaves, then rake them to the end/side of your driveway. Leaves may be placed in plastic bags and will be picked up at the curb during the scheduled program.
  • Only leaves will be collected during this fall’s program. Citizens are reminded that the citywide household trash and brush pickup will be scheduled in April and May.

The leaf pick-up schedule can also be found on the City of Oak Ridge website at www.OakRidgeTN.gov. For more information, contact Waste Connections of Tennessee at (865) 482-3656.

See the complete schedule here: 2015 Leaf Pickup Schedule.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.