Guest column: Oak Ridge on the ‘cusp of a renaissance’

Oak Ridge is on the cusp of a renaissance.

Seventy years ago, the federal government created Oak Ridge as part of the Manhattan Project. Today, they are investing in our city with the 10-year, $6.5 billion Uranium Processing Facility construction project.

In January 2013, Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s new carbon fiber facility comes on line. It can produce 25 tons of reinforced polymer that will help automotive and other manufacturers create stronger, more efficient products. Education and jobs are getting a huge boost with this new capability as Roane State Community College receives grants totaling $2.8 million to train workers to use the composites and operate the high-tech machines.

Taking advantage of these opportunities will require a City Council with a clear vision of the future and the skills necessary to make informed business decisions. What comes to mind is a series of big waves of opportunities—some will simply duck under and play it safe as they roll in, while others with vision will get on surfboards and ride the waves for all they are worth.

Now is not the time to duck under and cut back. Now is the perfect time to enhance the good things we have already built and to grasp the best opportunities for raising revenues and making investments for the future.

My vision for the future of Oak Ridge includes:

1. Building on the current wave of new retail development including Kroger Marketplace, Woodland Town Center, and the redevelopment of Jackson Square, we should encourage mixed-use zoning. Our community development folks call it “Live, Work and Play” development. For example, retail on the first floor, commercial on the second, and residential above that. This kind of development creates real communities and can attract potential buyers to invest in currently languishing properties.
2. Continuing to attract new families from outside the area by maintaining our outstanding schools. New employees of federal and retail projects will compare our schools to others in the area as they make decisions about where to live.
3. Helping Oak Ridgers with well-maintained legacy homes by following through on the “Not in Our City” initiatives of proper inspection, and upgrading or eliminating the blighted homes that depress neighborhood values. Many of our potential new residents already find our tax rate attractive, but they want new or remodeled homes in well-kept neighborhoods.

It’s really up to you as voters. You can elect members to Council prepared to hold their breath and duck under the waves of opportunity, or you can elect members who have the vision, experience, and courage to seize opportunities.

This town has a legacy of doing extraordinary things. We can do it again. It’s time to move forward.

Kelly Callison is a candidate for Oak Ridge City Council in the Nov. 6 election.