The City of Oak Ridge held ceremonial groundbreakings on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, to celebrate the start of two major projects: the new Oak Ridge Preschool, pictured above, with Scarboro Park improvements and the new Oak Ridge Senior Center. Construction activity is already under way at both sites, and the buildings are slated for completion later this year. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)
The City of Oak Ridge held ceremonial groundbreakings on Monday, January 14, to celebrate the start of two major projects: the new Oak Ridge Preschool with Scarboro Park improvements and the new Oak Ridge Senior Center. Construction activity is already under way at both sites, and the buildings are slated for completion later this year.
“These projects have been in the planning stages for decades and we are making good on promises to deliver them,” Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch said in a press release. “The Preschool and the Senior Center will have a positive impact on our citizens and their families for generations to come. We are excited to see construction begin.”
Studio Four Design Inc. was chosen to design the Preschool and the Senior Center. At a special meeting in October 2018, Oak Ridge City Council unanimously approved resolutions awarding construction contracts to Jenkins and Stiles LLC totaling just more than $11 million ($8.4 million for the new Preschool and Scarboro Park improvements and $2.68 million for the new Senior Center). General obligation bonds were sold in late November to completely fund the projects.
“After years of discussion, plans for these important facilities are coming to fruition,” Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said in the press release. “The Preschool and Senior Center are welcome additions to our community. We are appreciative of all the hard work that has gone into making these amenities a reality for Oak Ridge.”
The new Preschool will be a single-story facility of about 33,000 square feet located on Carver Avenue. The build site is inside Scarboro Park, a roughly 10-acre parcel. The project includes improvements to the adjacent park area such as lighted basketball/tennis courts, a baseball field, a public pavilion, green space, and a walking trail.
The current Preschool is in a building that is about seven decades old on New York Avenue.
The new senior center will be built just to the west of the Recreation Building at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. The single-story facility will be about 11,000 square feet, and it will overlook part of Alvin K. Bissell Park. Plans include a large kitchen, craft and exercise rooms, billiards parlor, lounge, and other common space.
The current senior center is temporarily located in the Civic Center’s Recreation Building.
The Preschool is expected to be complete by the end of November 2019, and the Senior Center has an estimated completion date of October 1, 2019, the press release said.
Members of Oak Ridge City Council, the Oak Ridge Board of Education, and the Senior Advisory Board attended Monday’s groundbreakings, along with city staff, Oak Ridge Schools representatives, project leaders, and other special guests.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
The City of Oak Ridge held ceremonial groundbreakings on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, to celebrate the start of two major projects: the new Oak Ridge Preschool with Scarboro Park improvements and the new Oak Ridge Senior Center, pictured above. Construction activity is already under way at both sites, and the buildings are slated for completion later this year. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)
An image showing what the new Oak Ridge Preschool at Scarboro Park could look like. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Studio Four Design)
An image showing what the new Oak Ridge Senior Center at Alvin K. Bissell Park could look like. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Studio Four Design)
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