Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge will celebrate new eighth rowing lane on Friday, April 28

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Rowers are pictured above on the Oak Ridge rowing course in the spring of 2017. The area that needed work to recently add the eighth lane is pictured at center-right along Melton Lake Drive. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Rowers are pictured above on the Oak Ridge rowing course in the spring of 2017. The area that needed work to recently add the eighth lane is pictured at center-right along Melton Lake Drive. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

Oak Ridge will celebrate the new eighth rowing lane with a special dedication ceremony on Friday, April 28, the city said in a press release.

The dedication, announced by the City of Oak Ridge, will be at 3 p.m. Friday, April 28. It is expected to include state and local leaders, and it will help kick off one of the biggest rowing weekends of the season, the press release said.

The eighth rowing lane, which is now complete, has been on the city’s wish list for many years. Officials have said that it could help attract even more and larger regattas (rowing races) and help maintain the Oak Ridge course as one of the top-ranked rowing venues in the United States.

Those who attend Friday’s dedication ceremony will gather in Melton Lake Park at the pavilion across from the Oak Ridge Rowing Association and then take a short walk on Melton Lake Greenway to the new overlook for the eighth rowing lane, the press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge will host NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships in 2020

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The Oak Ridge rowing course is pictured above during the 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The 2020 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships will be in Oak Ridge.

The selection was announced by the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) on Tuesday, April 18. The NCAA said it has selected more than 600 host sites for preliminary rounds and finals of predetermined championships in Divisions I, II, and III to be held from 2017-18 through 2021-22. The selections for Division I are posted online at the NCAA website.

The hosts for the 2020 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships at the Oak Ridge rowing course are the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge Rowing Association.

The championships will be in Indianapolis in 2019 and in Sarasota, Florida, in 2021 and 2022.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

SIRA Regatta in Oak Ridge this weekend

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The 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta is pictured in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association, or SIRA, Regatta is in Oak Ridge this weekend. The regatta started Friday, April 14, and it will end Saturday, April 15.

It’s hosted by the Oak Ridge Rowing Association. It’s the 49th annual SIRA Regatta in Oak Ridge, a press release said.

“Few partnerships have stood the test of time like that of SIRA and Oak Ridge,” said the press release, which was from Explore Oak Ridge.

This year, the regatta will feature 59 teams from 12 states.

“This is the largest regatta in SIRA history for an Easter weekend,” said Sarah McAuliffe, Oak Ridge Rowing Association regatta director.  “We are looking forward to a great weekend of rowing.”

The race distance is 2,000 meters, or about 1.25 miles. You can view the start line from Calhoun’s restaurant on Melton Lake Drive. Teams cross the finish line downstream at the UT-Battelle Rowing Tower. Coaches and spectators can now view races from start to finish with no obstructions because of the recent completion of the eighth lane, the press release said. [Read more…]

Eighth rowing lane complete in time for spring training

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Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

 

The eighth lane on the Oak Ridge Rowing Course has been completed on schedule and under budget, just in time to welcome teams for spring training and the season’s first regatta, the City of Oak Ridge said Friday.

“Previously, the course utilized seven rowing lanes, taking Oak Ridge out of the running for any event requiring eight lanes for competition,” a city press release said. “Part of the waterway was widened, and a retaining wall installed in order to create the additional lane.”

Spring training started in late February, and Oak Ridge has already welcomed dozens of teams to town, the press release said. The first regatta on this season’s schedule, the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational, kicks off Saturday, March 11. Approximately 12 teams will compete in the event before it wraps up on Sunday, March 12.

First Place Finish Inc. was selected to carry out the project back in September. The $548,350 contract was awarded to the company during a meeting of Oak Ridge City Council. A partial closure of Melton Lake Greenway and a temporary speed limit reduction along part of Melton Lake Drive were both lifted this week. [Read more…]

Photos: Work on eighth rowing lane

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The view from the water of the new wall installed for the eighth lane of the Oak Ridge rowing course. Calhoun’s restaurant is in the background at center right. (Photo by Laurel Patrick)

 

Laurel Patrick of First Place Finish Inc. in Oak Ridge has been posting pictures on Twitter showing the progress on work on the eighth lane of the Oak Ridge rowing course.

Here are pictures by Patrick starting November 16, used here with her permission. We have posted them below in chronological order.

First Place Finish Inc. received a $548,350 contract to add the eighth lane during a special Oak Ridge City Council meeting in September. The work includes a precast concrete block retaining wall and associated dredging and site work.

Oak Ridge officials announced in late October that the speed limit on a section of Melton Lake Drive would be temporarily reduced for at least three months starting Monday, October 31, while the eighth rowing lane is built, and part of the Melton Lake Greenway will be closed as necessary. [Read more…]

Photos: Removing dirt for eighth rowing lane

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Workers remove dirt for the eighth rowing lane on the Oak Ridge Rowing Course on the Clinch River along Melton Lake Drive on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Workers have been removing dirt this month for the eighth rowing lane on the Oak Ridge Rowing Course on the Clinch River on the east end of town.

More than 250 truckloads of dirt had been removed as of November 16, according to Laurel Patrick of First Place Finish Inc., which received a $548,350 contract to add the eighth lane during a special meeting in September. The work will include a precast concrete block retaining wall and associated dredging and site work.

Oak Ridge officials announced in late October that the speed limit on a section of Melton Lake Drive would be temporarily reduced for at least three months starting Monday, October 31, while the eighth rowing lane is built, and part of the Melton Lake Greenway will be closed as necessary.

The speed limit has been reduced from 45 miles per hour to 25 mph along Melton Lake Drive between Amanda Drive and Palisades Parkway. The change will remain in place for a minimum of three months  starting October 31. Signs were to be installed to warn drivers of the reduced speed limit. [Read more…]

Speed limit to be reduced, part of greenway closed as construction starts on eighth rowing lane

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Officials and referees used Oak Ridge Rowing Association boats to monitor the races on the seven-lane course at the 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The speed limit on a section of Melton Lake Drive will be temporarily reduced for at least three months starting Monday while the eighth rowing lane is built, and part of the Melton Lake Greenway will be closed as necessary, city officials said.

The speed limit will be reduced from 45 miles per hour to 25 mph along Melton Lake Drive between Amanda Drive and Palisades Parkway, a City of Oak Ridge press release said. The change will remain in place for a minimum of three months beginning Monday, October 31. Signs will be installed to warn drivers of the reduced speed limit.

The project will also require about 500 feet of greenway to be removed and replaced at the end of construction, the press release said. As a result, a section of Melton Lake Greenway between Amanda Drive and Palisades Parkway will be temporarily closed.

Due to site preparation work, the greenway will close Friday, October 28, but will reopen for the weekend. The closure will be put back in place for the duration of the project on Monday, October 31, the press release said. [Read more…]

Temporary greenway closure due to work on eighth rowing lane

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A section of Melton Lake Greenway will be temporarily closed during construction of the eighth lane on the Oak Ridge Rowing Course.

The project will require approximately 500 feet of greenway to be removed and replaced at the end of construction, a press release said. The affected area is located along Melton Lake Drive between Amanda Drive and Palisades Parkway.

Due to the restricted project work zone, a temporary bypass is not expected to be feasible, the press release said. The specific start date for the closure has yet to be determined, but signs will give notice to those in the area once the closure begins. Trail users are asked to be cautious and observe all trail closure barricades and signage. [Read more…]

USRowing Masters Nationals returns to Oak Ridge in 2017

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The 2017 USRowing Masters National Championships will be held in Oak Ridge in August. The championships are scheduled for August 17-20 on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge. (Photo courtesy USRowing)

 

The 2017 USRowing Masters National Championships will be held in Oak Ridge in August.

The championships are scheduled for August 17-20 on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge. USRowing announced the dates and location on Friday.

There were more than 2,000 entries from 165 clubs for the 2016 event on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Massachusetts, in August. It was the largest USRowing event ever, according to USRowing. (Oak Ridge rower Michael Schay won several gold medals there.)

The bar has been set even higher for 2017, USRowing said, citing Oak Ridge Rowing Association Regatta Director Sarah McAuliffe.

“Oak Ridge Rowing Association is extremely excited to provide an excellent athlete experience for rowers at Masters Nationals 2017,” said McAuliffe. “With our race course recognized as one of the best in the country, and an organization that has decades of experience hosting high-caliber events, rowers will have the ability to connect with other athletes socially and competitively…With our race course that is recognized as one of the best in the country, and an organization that has decades of experience hosting high-caliber events, rowers will have the ability to connect with other athletes socially and competitively.” [Read more…]

Council to consider $548,350 contract for eighth rowing lane

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Officials and referees used Oak Ridge Rowing Association boats to monitor the races on the seven-lane course at the 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

On Tuesday, the Oak Ridge City Council will consider a $548,350 contract to add an eighth lane to the city’s rowing course on the Clinch River.

Council will consider the contract, which would be awarded to First Place Finish Incorporated, at 1 p.m. Tuesday, September 6, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom.

The work would include a precast concrete block retaining wall and associated dredging and site work.

Funding for the project comes from several sources, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said in a September 2 memo to City Council. The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development has allocated $250,000 for the project. The city’s Capital Improvements Program, or CIP, has budgeted $585,000 for the project, with the city’s share being $185,000.

Other sources of funding include: [Read more…]

Local rower Mike Schay takes gold at Masters Nationals

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Mike Schay

Michael Schay, an Oak Ridge resident who rows out of the Oak Ridge Rowing Association boathouse, competed in the 2016 USRowing Masters National Championships in Worcester, Massachusetts, from Aug. 18-20, 2016, and he won gold medals in the Men’s F1x, Men’s E4x, and Men’s F4x. (Submitted photo)

 

By Evelyn Radford

Oak Ridge resident Michael Schay is making a big splash in the rowing community.

Accompanied by his wife and training partner Nancy, Mike rows out of the Oak Ridge Rowing Association boathouse, competing under the name of “Atomic.”

The couple recently traveled to Worcester, Massachusetts, to compete in the 2016 USRowing Masters National Championships. Unlike the flat waters of Melton Hill Lake that Mike is accustomed to, Lake Quinsigamond, the body of water where the 1,000-meter head-to-head races were held, is known for its hazardous conditions and constant choppy water.

Yet if you know anything about Mike, you know that when he puts his mind to something, he intends to accomplish it. Mike ended up sweeping almost every single event, advancing through heats to win gold medals in the Men’s F1x, Men’s E4x, and Men’s F4x. [Read more…]

Eighth lane could be added to Oak Ridge rowing course by March

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Officials and referees used Oak Ridge Rowing Association boats to monitor the races on the seven-lane course at the 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. The city plans to add an eighth lane by March 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

An eighth lane could be added to the Oak Ridge rowing course by March, officials said Tuesday.

The work is made possible with help from a $40,000 state Tourism Enhancement Grant announced Tuesday by Randy Boyd, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Officials celebrated with a brief ceremony at Calhoun’s Event Center on Melton Lake Peninsula.

The eighth rowing lane has been on the city’s wish list for at least a decade, possibly longer.

Oak Ridge has received a $250,000 state grant for the proposed eighth lane. The city has planned to contribute $150,000, and Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson has solicited more money from other agencies that would benefit from the rowing course improvements, including in Anderson and Knox counties. That meant there was enough money available to fund a project of about $560,000, which is close to a targeted estimate that Watson gave Oak Ridge City Council members in March. [Read more…]