Oak Ridge Today

NRC has public hearing on Clinch River Nuclear Site in August

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This image shows the location of the Clinch River Nuclear Site in west Oak Ridge. (Image by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission from the April 2019 “Reader’s Guide” for the “Final Environmental Impact Statement for an Early Site Permit at the Clinch River Nuclear Site.”)


The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will have a mandatory hearing on August 14 regarding an application for an early site permit for one or more small modular nuclear reactors at the Clinch River Nuclear Site in west Oak Ridge. It’s the final step in the agency’s review of the application.

The Commission hearing will include testimony and exhibits from the Tennessee Valley Authority, which applied for the early site permit, as well as from the NRC staff. The testimony and exhibits will be about the question of whether the NRC staff’s review adequately supports the findings that are necessary to issue a permit, a press release said.

The August 14 hearing will begin at 9 a.m. in the Commission Hearing Room at NRC Headquarters at 11555 Rockville Pike in Rockville, Maryland. The hearing will be open to public observation and webcast. A detailed agenda and presentation slides will be available in advance on the Commission’s meeting page.

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Outdoor Pool hours extended into August

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The Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road is pictured above. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department is extending open hours at the outdoor pool into the month of August. The new schedule will begin on Thursday, August 1, as follows: 

  • Monday-Friday: 100-meter Lap Swim from 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
  • Monday-Friday: Kiddie/Shallow Open Swim from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
  • Wednesdays: After-school Open Swim from 3-8 p.m.
  • Saturday and Sunday: Open Swim from 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
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Updated: Council approves $45 million debt resolution for new water plant

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Note: This story was updated at 8:30 p.m.

The Oak Ridge City Council voted 5-0 Monday evening to approve an initial debt resolution worth up to $45 million for the construction of a new water treatment plant and related infrastructure.

The five members voting in favor of the resolution were Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch, Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn, and Council members Jim Dodson, Chuck Hope, and Ellen Smith. Council members Kelly Callison and Derrick Hammond were absent.

The water plant would be built near the city’s water intake on the Clinch River in south Oak Ridge. The cost of the new plant, which could produce about 16 million gallons of water per day, is currently estimated at about $42.9 million.

City officials have been discussing the new water plant for several years and have had an engineering firm study the project.

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City repairing large landslide near access road to water plant

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The Oak Ridge Water Treatment Plant is pictured on Pine Ridge above the Y-12 National Security Complex. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The city is repairing a large landslide that occurred next to the access road to the Oak Ridge water treatment plant on Pine Ridge above the Y-12 National Security Complex during the rainy month of February.

The landslide occurred on the night of February 23, Oak Ridge Public Works Director Shira McWaters told City Manager Mark Watson in a June 24 memo. The access road is the only access road to the city’s water plant, and it’s critical to being able to operate the water plant, McWaters said. The road allows operations and maintenance workers to get to the water plant and deliver materials, equipment, and chemicals.

Repairs were started immediately after the landslide to minimize the risk of more damage to the area and the potential to lose the only access road to the plant, McWaters said. She said work started in March and should be complete by the end of July.

The water plant provides water to both the City of Oak Ridge and to U.S. Department of Energy sites, including Y-12 and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The plant is on a ridge at the southern entrance to central Oak Ridge above the main entrance to Y-12 at Bear Creek Road and Scarboro Road.

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Lightning starts bedroom fire

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No injuries were reported when lightning sparked a fire in a bedroom in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, firefighters said. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

No injuries were reported when lightning sparked a fire in a bedroom in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, firefighters said.

The Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to reports of a tree being struck by lightning in the 100 block of Baltimore Drive at about 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, July 2.

Firefighters said the energy from the lightning strike ran into a nearby home, causing the electrical outlets in a bedroom to arc. The electrical arcing set a bed on fire, which heavily damaged the bedroom and its contents, a press release said.

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Photos: July 4 fireworks

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The annual fireworks show was in Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge on Thursday, July 4, 2019. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

The annual fireworks show was in Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge on Thursday. The Oak Ridge Community Band performed before the fireworks.

Here are photos by Julio Culiat and D. Ray Smith.

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Reminder: Fireworks tonight in A.K. Bissell Park

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Fireworks at Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2017. (File photo by D. Ray Smith)

A reminder: The annual fireworks show in Oak Ridge is in Alvin K. Bissell Park tonight (Thursday, July 4).

The fireworks show is sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge to celebrate Independence Day.

Today’s fireworks are expected to begin after dark at about 9:45 p.m.

The Oak Ridge Community Band, now in its 75th year, will perform before the fireworks. The concert is free, but donations are accepted by the band to help cover the cost of equipment and other expenses, a press release said. The music is expected to begin at 7:30 p.m. WMYL 96.7 Merle FM will be live following the band performance and will broadcast the soundtrack for the fireworks display.

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USA Cycling championships in Oak Ridge next week

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The USA Cycling National Pro Road, Crit, Time Trial, and Para-Cycling Championships will be held in Knoxville and Oak Ridge next week, from June 27-30.

In partnership with Visit Knoxville, the City of Oak Ridge will host the ITT National Championships for the second year in a row, a press release said.

“Watching the national championship events last summer during USA Cycling’s first visit to Oak Ridge was an incredible experience,” Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch said. “Obviously our community made an impact because these top-notch cycling teams are returning to our beautiful waterfront venue. We thank our residents and visitors for their patience with the traffic impacts and hope that everyone is able to come out and enjoy the time trials.”

Here is information about traffic impacts:

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Fireworks are July 4 in A.K. Bissell Park

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Oak Ridge fireworks are July 4 in Alvin K. Bissell Park. The Independence Day fireworks show is sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge, and it is expected to begin after dark at approximately 9:45 p.m. July 4, 2019. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Oak Ridge fireworks are July 4 in Alvin K. Bissell Park. The Independence Day fireworks show is sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge, and it is expected to begin after dark at approximately 9:45 p.m. July 4.

The Oak Ridge Community Band, now in its 75th year, will perform prior to the fireworks. The concert is free, but donations are accepted by the band to help cover the cost of equipment and other expenses, a press release said. The music is expected to begin at 7:30 p.m. WMYL 96.7 Merle FM will be live following the band performance and will broadcast the soundtrack for the fireworks display, the press release said.

“Anyone planning to attend is advised to bring a lawn chair or blanket for outdoor seating,” the release said. “A safety zone will be established by the Oak Ridge Fire Department. Please sit only in the designated areas.”

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Lavender Festival features herbs, crafts, food, music Saturday

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2017 Lavender Festival (Image Credit: Shawn Millsaps)

Tennessee’s only Lavender Festival returns for its 21st year in Historic Jackson Square in Oak Ridge on Saturday, June 15. The festival is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“Celebrating all things herbal, crafts, local foods, and more, the Lavender Festival is free to customers, and last year attracted an estimated crowd of 11,000,” a press release said. “In addition to free admission, Lavender Festival also offers plenty of free parking in city and business lots surrounding Jackson Square.”

The festival is full of tradition and fun, and it always features something new, the press release said. For example, a traditional bagpipe player will open the festival at 8 a.m., playing from upper Blankenship Field into Jackson Square. Also keeping with tradition, Alan McBride will follow with the hammered dulcimer in the bandstand, the release said. A complete music schedule is included below.

The highlight of Lavender Festival will be the group of 150 artisan, herb, and floral vendors that will line the covered walkways of Jackson Square, the parking lot, and both sides of Broadway Avenue, which will be closed to traffic.

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Manhattan Project: Walk with a ranger, learn more about Wheat

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The former Wheat community in what is now west Oak Ridge (Photo courtesy National Park Service)

You can join a National Park Service park ranger for a ranger-led walk through the pre-Manhattan Project community of Wheat on Wednesday, June 19. The former community was in what is now west Oak Ridge.

The free program on June 19 is presented by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. It is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. at Blair Road and the North Boundary Greenway. The walk will be about 1.5 miles, so wear comfortable walking shoes and bring water to drink, a press release said. Stops will include “downtown” Wheat, George Jones Memorial Baptist Church, Roane College site, and the Crawford Cumberland Presbyterian Memorial. There will be stories about the development and significance of each site, the press release said.

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City manager to present proposed budget

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Mark Watson

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson will present the proposed budget for the next fiscal year in a special meeting this evening (Tuesday, May 28).

The special Oak Ridge City Council meeting will start at 6 p.m. in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom at 200 South Tulane Avenue.

The next fiscal year starts July 1.