Oak Ridge Today

Harvest Hike on Melton Lake Greenway on Oct. 3

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City of Oak Ridge Harvest Hike

A Harvest Hike on Melton Lake Greenway on October 3 will feature a 4.2-mile “out and back” walk with optional trail hiking.

The hike is scheduled from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, October 3 at Melton Lake Greenway, Phase 4.

The walk path has varied elevations and can accommodate bicycles and strollers.

The hike will start from the Haw Ridge parking area on Edgemoor Road promptly at 9 a.m., organizers said. The hike is sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge Wellness Committee and Oak Ridge Schools Coordinated Health.

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Property tax bills sent out, payments due Oct. 31

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Oak Ridge property tax bills were sent out, and payments are due without penalty by October 31.

The tax statements should have been received by September 1, the City of Oak Ridge said.

The city received the certified tax rate—or tax-neutral rate—from Tennessee this summer and adopted the $2.52 rate without changing it. That’s in contrast to other surrounding city and county governments, including Anderson and Roane counties.

Problems in Roane County’s re-assessments delayed the city from setting the tax rate and sending out tax bills when expected. But those problems were resolved as of August 3.

The new tax-neutral rate went up in Oak Ridge because total property assessments went down in Anderson and Roane counties. The tax-neutral rate is meant to bring in the same amount of revenue after a five-year reappraisal as before. [Read more…]

City crews working to restore power after early morning electrical failure

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Frank Callaghan Towers Electric Repairs

Oak Ridge Electric Department crews work to restore electricity to Frank Callaghan Towers on Fairbanks Road after a power failure was reported early Friday morning. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge Electric Department crews worked to restore electricity to Frank Callaghan Towers on Fairbanks Road after an early morning power failure on Friday.

The Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to the report of a fire alarm at Callaghan Towers on 115 Fairbanks Road at approximately 3:31 a.m. on Friday, September 18. When they arrived, ORFD firefighters investigated and found the elevator mechanical room was filled with smoke. ORFD entered into the room using a thermal imaging camera and found elevator motor number one to be smoking and elevator motor number two to be overheating, a press release said.

Firefighters disconnected power to the elevators and set up exhaust fans in the outside doorways to clear the building of smoke. Residents from the first floor were evacuated from the building until the building was cleared of smoke. Residents on floors two through six were sheltered in place in their rooms during the event. [Read more…]

Photos: Jackson Square parking lot work continues Thursday

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Jackson Square Fountain and Landscaping

New landscaping is in the foreground and the interactive fountain is in the background at Jackson Square as construction continued on the $1 million parking lot renovation on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The $1 million renovation of the Jackson Square parking lot continued Thursday, with the goal of finishing the project in time for Taste of Anderson County on Saturday.

Construction started in January on what has turned into one of the most closely watched projects in Oak Ridge. Work is funded with help from a $741,609 Tennessee Department of Transportation Enhancement Grant that was awarded to the city in June 2012. The TDOT grant covers 80 percent of the work, and it requires a 20 percent city match.

The work is reported to be the first major renovation at Jackson Square in 70 years. It includes a landscaped pedestrian plaza with parking, an interactive fountain, stone pavers, curbing, asphalt paving, utilities, benches, sidewalks, and upgrades under the American with Disabilities Act. [Read more…]

Taste of Anderson County on Saturday, work continues at Jackson Square

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Jackson Square Fountain Brick Work

Workers install bricks at the interactive fountain area in Jackson Square on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Work continued at the Jackson Square parking lot this week as merchants, organizers, and the city prepare for Taste of Anderson County on Saturday.

The substantial completion date for the parking lot work was expected to be Tuesday, September 15, and the goal is to have the project done in time for Taste of Anderson County.

The annual outdoor festival features food and music. It’s scheduled from 4-9 p.m. Saturday, September 19, in the Jackson Square parking lot. This year, there will be music, more than 20 different restaurant vendors, and a bar stocked with beer, wine, and moonshine cocktails and wings, organizers said.

Taste of Anderson County will benefit two local causes: United Way of Anderson County and the Free Medical Clinic. [Read more…]

Council doesn’t change Secret City Festival date, leaves it up to new nonprofit board

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City Council Chuck Hope, Warren Gooch, and Ellen Smith on Sept. 14, 2015

Pictured above at the Oak Ridge City Council meeting on Monday, Sept. 14, 2015, when changes to the annual Secret City Festival were made, are Council members Chuck Hope, left, Mayor Warren Gooch, and Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Smith. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 10:36 a.m.

They’ve heard concerns about moving it to the fall, and the Oak Ridge City Council on Monday did not change the date of the annual Secret City Festival. Instead, Council left any potential date change up to a new nonprofit board that could be appointed in October.

It was one of a series of steps meant to make the Secret City Festival less costly for the city and less labor-intensive for the municipal staff, to rethink how it’s organized, and to make it self-sustaining. The festival could be incorporated into a new, expanded Secret City Celebration that could include other events.

A Special Events Advisory Task Force appointed by City Council in February had recommended moving the festival to the fall as part of a celebration that would last at least a week, start in October, and continue through Veterans Day, November 11.

But Council members and a few residents laid out some objections to the proposed date change, including “dicey weather” in the fall; the potentially cold temperatures, especially for nighttime concerts; conflicts with football and other fall events; and concerns over the possibility that the festival could again become saturated with political candidates in election years, now that municipal elections have been moved to November. There were also concerns about whether some organizations that now participate in the June festival, including artists and World War II re-enactors, could take part in the fall. [Read more…]

Council could consider changes to Secret City Festival tonight, including move to fall

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Secret City Festival World War II Re-enactment 2015

A Flak 88 firing during a Battle of Normandy re-enactment at the 2015 Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. (Photo by Rob Welton)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council could consider changes to the Secret City Festival tonight, including an expansion and a possible move to the fall.

The annual festival could be expanded into a celebration that could start in October and run through Veterans Day (November 11), last at least a week, and include the Secret City Festival. The expanded festival—which now includes music, children’s activities, a World War II re-enactment, and vendors and exhibitors—could be called the Secret City Celebration.

The changes have been recommended by the Special Events Advisory Task Force, which was set up by City Council in February and chaired by Council member Trina Baughn. The task force was expected to meet for six months and then provide a report to Council.

“The idea is not to limit the celebration to a single event, but to incorporate other activities over an expanded period of time that allow for greater participation by both patrons and various organizations within the community,” Baughn said in an August 5 memo to City Council. [Read more…]

Tunnell, former alternate city judge, oldest practicing attorney in TN, dies at 95

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William Lawrence Tunnell

William Lawrence Tunnell

William Lawrence Tunnell, an alternate Oak Ridge city judge who was believed to be the oldest practicing attorney in Tennessee, died September 5. He was 95.

His family will have a receiving of friends for Tunnell, who was also a World War II veteran, on Tuesday, September 15.

Earlier this year, Tunnell was said to be the oldest judge in Tennessee.

Tunnell was born and raised in the Marlow community, according to his obituary. He was a faithful member of Poplar Creek Baptist Church and most recently attended Batley Baptist Church, his obituary said. He was proud of his farm in Marlow.

Tunnell graduated as the valedictorian from the last class at Robertsville High School in 1942. [Read more…]

Five years and $17 million later, city satisfies EPA Clean Water order

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Emory Valley Road Sewer System Holding Tanks

Workers assemble a sewer system holding tank near Emory Valley Road on Wednesday afternoon, April 1, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Five years and $17 million later, Oak Ridge has satisfied a federal administrative order that required the city to repair all sewer system overflows by the end of this month, officials announced Wednesday.

Mark Watson

Mark Watson

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said he has received a “closure letter” from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency stating the City’s Administrative Order pursuant to the Clean Water Act has been fulfilled, a press release said. The letter, signed by James Giattina, director the Water Protection Division at EPA’s regional office in Atlanta, states that the EPA Region 4 “has determined that the city has satisfied the requirements of the referenced order and hereby closes the order.”

In 2010, the EPA filed an administrative order against the city for excess “Inflow and Infiltration” affecting the wastewater collection lines within the city’s primary service areas. The EPA considered the reported system overflows and piped overflows to be a violation of the Clean Water Act, the press release said. The administrative order contained various program requirements to eliminate the overflows, ensure adequate capacity system wide, and to develop a formal management, operation, and maintenance program, or MOM.

“I am pleased to report that the challenge of the EPA administrative order charged against our city is over!” Watson said. “We have received written confirmation that we have done a substantial job in addressing the findings of the Environmental Protection Agency against Oak Ridge. The order is now closed and we can begin to maintain a consistent and ongoing maintenance effort of this important sewage infrastructure for the community.” [Read more…]

New Zumba Gold Session starts Sept. 1 at Oak Ridge Senior Center

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A new fall session of Zumba Gold begins September 1 at the Oak Ridge Senior Center.

“Come celebrate the start of this new session with an Aloha Luau!” a press release said. “Try the first class for free and get a good cardio workout while dancing to great Latin music. Learn to tango, salsa, mambo, and cha-cha-cha along with some hip hop and oldies mixed in as well.”

Participants who are 50 or older can bring a guest that is under 50. Classes are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. Classes are $4 each after your first one for free.

“Come join the fun and dance!” the press release said. [Read more…]

Major water main break could be repaired by 6 p.m. Tuesday, city says

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West Outer Drive Water Main Break

The major water main break on West Outer Drive near Johnson Road is almost repaired, officials said late Tuesday afternoon. Here City of Oak Ridge crews work in front of 650 West Outer Drive. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The major water main break on West Outer Drive near Johnson Road is almost repaired, officials said late Tuesday afternoon.

Late Tuesday morning, the City of Oak Ridge said residents at 646-664 West Outer Drive would be without water for about six hours, or possibly longer, while crews worked to repair the line. In the meantime, residents in the surrounding area were advised that they could encounter lower water pressure and possibly be without water for a short time as well.

At 4:40 p.m., the city said the water main break should be repaired by 6 p.m. Tuesday. [Read more…]