Oak Ridge Today

Smith, Chinn both seek appointment as mayor pro tem

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Ellen Smith (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Smith is seeking appointment to a second two-year term as mayor pro tem on Monday.

But she has a challenger: Rick Chinn.

The mayor pro tem is someone who can carry out the duties of the mayor when the mayor is temporarily unavailable. That includes leading Oak Ridge City Council meetings and serving as the city’s ambassador when the mayor is not available.

In a letter to her fellow city leaders, Smith said she has tried, during her two-year term, to conduct city business in an efficient and respectful manner and to present a positive image for Council and the community, both locally and when representing Oak Ridge outside the city’s borders. [Read more…]

Manhattan Project: Secrecy, Security, Spies program on Saturday, Dec. 17

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The Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse is pictured above on the west end of town. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse is pictured above on the west end of town. (Submitted photo)

 

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will present a program on Saturday, December 17, at 3:30 p.m. at the Turnpike Gatehouse.  The program will give visitors some insight to what life was like in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project with all the security, the need for secrecy, and the worry of spies, a press release said.

The program is free and open to the public; parking is limited, so please try to carpool if possible, the press release said.

The Gatehouse is also at a trail head for the North Boundary Greenway, and visitors can go for a self-guided hike after the program. [Read more…]

Making it easier to qualify, program offering free energy-efficient upgrades raises income level

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MORE2 Logo

In April, Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient, or MORE2, began installing energy-efficient upgrades (such as water heaters, HVAC units, and attic insulation) in the homes of Oak Ridge residents for free.

So far, MORE2 has worked on more than 30 homes and has seen drastic improvements in the lives of those who have participated in the program.

MORE2 is funded by a grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Linda, a renter who was heating her home with window air-conditioning units and baseboard heat, has been amazed at the difference in her life since the MORE2 team installed upgrades in her home, a press release said. She told a team member, “I’m sleeping better and I’m breathing better…I’m so pleased and grateful for these changes.” [Read more…]

First year: More than 80,000 visit three Manhattan Project Park sites in 2016

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The late Bill Wilcox by the International Friendship Bell in Oak Ridge. (Courtesy of Friends of the International Friendship Bell via Atomic Heritage Foundation)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12 p.m. Dec. 8.

More than 80,000 people have visited the three sites of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge, according to a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C.

Besides Oak Ridge, the park includes Hanford, Washington, and Los Alamos, New Mexico.

In Oak Ridge, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park has a volunteer or ranger at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge when the museum is open. The park also has activities. For example, there is a program on secrecy, security, and spies at the Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse in west Oak Ridge on Saturday, December 17. And the park, in partnership with the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, will be featuring a Parks in Focus photography exhibit during the month of December. The photography exhibit is located in the Imagination Gallery at the museum located at 461 West Outer Drive.

Also, a virtual tour of the K-25 Building can be found at the new K-25 Virtual Museum website. And from March to November, admission to AMSE includes a three-hour bus tour of the Oak Ridge Reservation, including the X-10 Graphite Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, New Bethel Church at ORNL, the visitor overlook at the East Tennessee Technology Park (former home to the K-25 gaseous diffusion building), and Y-12 New Hope History Center. [Read more…]

Photos: Oak Ridge Christmas tree lighting

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The Oak Ridge Christmas tree lighting was Friday, Dec. 2, 2016, in Alvin K. Bissell Park. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Christmas tree lighting was Friday in Alvin K. Bissell Park. Here are photos by the City of Oak Ridge.

The annual Christmas tree lighting and reception are sponsored by the Oak Ridge Woman’s Club and the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department. The reception includes seasonal music and entertainment in the Oak Ridge Civic Center gymnasium. [Read more…]

Letter: Oak Ridge a better place to live, work thanks to Baughn, Hensley

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To the Editor:

Monday night, December 12, 2016, there will be a changing of the guard when two Oak Ridge City Council members “retire.” Both have been instrumental in bringing the dawn of a new day for the city. Neither can be accused of slacking their elected duties. And while their approaches have been different, their mutual goal was to make Oak Ridge the best city it could be. And, in a season of strange electoral occurrences, both chose not to run for re-election even though the odds were they would be voted back into office.

Councilwoman Trina Baughn and I, on occasion, have found ourselves on different sides of an issue or two. However, she has treated me and my ideas with respect. I have not been the exception. I hope I have behaved in the same manner.

In recent history, Trina probably has been the most prepared Council member to discuss the issues at hand. I will not forget her toting a black notebook (or two) holding her “homework” as she took her seat on the dais. In the wrong hands, minutiae can be boring. In Trina’s hands, they were generally irrefutable landmarks supporting her position. Being a person of strong disposition, Mrs. Baughn never wavered when her views were ridiculed or attacked. But she was also willing to compromise when unity was necessary. [Read more…]

DOE, National Park Service mark first year of Manhattan Project Park

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By U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management

The U.S. Department of Energy and the National Park Service have made considerable progress in their inaugural year managing the national park commemorating the Manhattan Project, according to DOE.

“Everyone involved with the park from DOE, the National Park Service, and our community partners has put a lot of work into the Manhattan Project National Historical Park over the past year and it shows,” DOE Office of Legacy Management Acting Director Thomas Pauling said in a November 30 newsletter called “EM Update.” “The Office of Legacy Management is excited to join the team, and we’re looking forward to contributing to its continuing success.”

Established on November 10, 2015, the park consists of facilities at three sites—Hanford, Washington; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico—that played key roles in the creation of the atomic bomb during World War II as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project. The park tells the story of the people, events, science, and engineering that led to the creation of the atomic bomb, which helped end World War II. [Read more…]

Linden Elementary, Midway Middle win $1,000 for environmental programs

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“Voice of the Vols” Bob Kesling, director of broadcasting/play-by-play for the Vol Network, and Etta Clark, vice president of global public affairs and policy at Eastman, present the 2016 Good Sports Always Recycle winners at Linden Elementary School with their award. (Submitted photo)

 

Linden Elementary School in Oak Ridge and Midway Middle School in Ten Mile were recognized at the University of Tennessee homecoming game as two of the statewide winners of the Good Sports Always Recycle, or GSAR, program’s school challenge. Seven other schools were also recognized. All nine were awarded $1,000 each for their programs.

The award sponsors were Eastman Chemical Company, Food City, Waste Connections of Tennessee, and the University of Tennessee, a press release said.

The other GSAR School Challenge winners were Abintra Montessori School in Nashville, Cleveland High School in Cleveland, Emmett Elementary School in Bristol, Fayette Academy in Somerville, John Adams Elementary School in Kingsport, Newport Grammar School in Newport, and Union Elementary STEM and Demonstration School in Gallatin.

New Hope Christian Academy in Memphis was awarded $1,500 for the GSAR Sustainability Steward Award, and Libertas School of Memphis was awarded $1,500 for the Best New Program. [Read more…]

Gooch seeks second term as mayor

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Warren Gooch (2016 file photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch is seeking a second two-year term as mayor. Gooch has written a letter to the rest of the seven-member Oak Ridge City Council outlining why he is seeking re-election.

The Oak Ridge City Council is expected to appoint a mayor and mayor pro tem during its next meeting on December 12.

Four City Council members expressed an interest in serving as mayor two years ago, but so far this year, Gooch is the only one who has asked to be appointed.

The Oak Ridge City Council appoints two of its members as mayor and mayor pro tem at a regular meeting after each municipal election—they’re held every two years—and after all newly elected members have been duly qualified, according to the Oak Ridge City Charter. There was a municipal election on November 8 this year. [Read more…]

Letter: Gooch seeks second term as mayor

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Warren Gooch (2016 file photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Editor’s note: Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch is seeking a second two-year term. Here is a December 2 letter he wrote to the rest of the Oak Ridge City Council.

Dear City Council colleagues:

I am seeking re-election for a second term as mayor, and I respectfully ask for your support. Two years ago, I pledged to be a consensus builder and to work with each of you, the Board of Education, and the city staff to restore collegiality, team work, and shared goals for the future. I also committed to actively promote Oak Ridge and our commitment to excellence in our schools, city services, and quality of life. I believe we have made great strides in this regard, and Oak Ridgers have embraced our collective efforts.

Over the last two years, I have worked diligently to delegate responsibilities among the Council and to appoint every member to lead specific initiatives based upon each member’s personal interests and Council’s priorities. Our work has been successful, as evidenced by the development of Main Street Oak Ridge; the establishment of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park; re-development of Jackson Square; new retail, commercial, and industrial investment; the continued development and support of the Land Bank; the successful award of grants from the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Tennessee Housing Development Agency; the promotion of the Oak Ridge Corridor; the upgrade in our bond rating from AA to AA+; and the addition of the eighth lane to the Melton Lake rowing venue. I am particularly proud of the stronger relationships we have developed with our elected federal, state, and county officials; the Department of Energy; State of Tennessee; and our local Department of Energy contractors. [Read more…]

Letter: Please contribute to help firefighters, first responders

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To the Editor:

We’ve all been praying for rain, perhaps several times a day. This drought has been affecting our area for over four months now.

Because it’s been so dry, there’s been a ban on fires. You’ve heard the reports: No open fires. No fire pits or campfires. No grilling whether charcoal or gas. No throwing down a cigarette butt. No burning of brush or rubbish.

If you were going to ask, the answer would be a simple “NO!”

As a result, someone has, or did because they figured it was OK. Whether it was intentional or not. It happened. Fires popped up here and there. On the mountain side, at the campground, someone’s backyard, or even a spark from an engine. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge basketball teams trounce Central

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The Oak Ridge boys’ and girls’ basketball teams both had blowout wins at Central on Friday.

The girls (4-1, 2-0 District 3-AAA) won 54-16. It was the fifth-lowest score an opponent has had in a Lady Wildcats game, according to broadcaster David Clary of Prepradio.com.

The boys (5-0, 2-0) beat Central 68-36. [Read more…]