Oak Ridge Today

Staybridge Suites Oak Ridge wins prestigious award

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The Staybridge Suites Oak Ridge has received a top award from InterContinental Hotels Group, a global company that operates seven hotel brands, including Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, and Holiday Inn Express, a press release said.

The IHG 2012 Torchbearer Award was presented during an investors and leadership conference in Orlando in October. It’s the company’s most prestigious award, the release said.

The release said Staybridge Suites Oak Ridge was chosen from the IHG system of more than 4,500 hotels and is one of only 102 properties within the United States recognized for achieving the highest levels of excellence in all aspects of operation—from quality to customer satisfaction. A Torchbearer trophy will be on permanent display at the hotel.

“It is my pleasure to name the Staybridge Suites Oak Ridge as one of the top-notch hotels in our industry,” said Kirk Kinsell, president of the Americas for IHG. “This hotel embodies the heart of our brand promise and continues to make IHG properties known and admired throughout the world, continuing our mission to deliver great hotels guests love.”

The press release said almost 5,000 franchise owners, operators, and company officials attended the 2012 IHG Americas Investors and Leadership Conference in Orlando.

IHG is the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms, the release said. It franchises, leases, manages, or owns more than 4,400 hotels and more than 650,000 rooms in 100 countries and territories. InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the group’s holding company, and it is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales.

Veterans Day program on Thursday features Vietnam vet

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Freddie J. Owens

A Veterans Day ceremony on Thursday in Oak Ridge will feature Freddie J. Owens, twice wounded in combat in Vietnam and a survivor of the 1962 Ia Drang Valley battle, the first major battle between the U.S. Army and the North Vietnam Army. (Submitted photo)

A Veterans Day program in Oak Ridge on Thursday will pay tribute to those who served and died in Vietnam.

The featured speaker is Freddie J. Owens, who was wounded in combat twice in Vietnam and is a survivor of the 1962 Ia Drang Valley battle, the first major battle between the U.S. Army and the North Vietnam Army, a press release said. Owens will discuss his experiences serving in Vietnam as a squad leader with the 1st Calvary Division (Air Assault).

Thursday’s program, titled “Our Forgotten Heroes,” is hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office, and it is open to the public. It will start at 10 a.m. Thursday at the American Museum of Science and Energy at 200 S. Tulane Ave.

Owens’ military decorations include the Combat Infantry Badge, Air-Assault Badge with Star Cluster, Bronze Star with Valor Device, Purple Heart with Cluster, Air Medal with Combat Cluster, Presidential Unit Citation, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) Gallantry Cross, and Army Commendation medal.

The press release said Armistice Day was founded more than 90 years ago to recognize the sacrifices made by World War I veterans. Nov. 11 was the day chosen for the celebration and remembrance. It coincided with the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month—Nov. 11, 1918, when the armistice was signed, ending the war.

More than 48 million veterans have served the United States since its birth in 1776, and almost half are still alive today, the press release said. One of every 10 people in the country is a veteran.

For more information concerning ORO’s Veteran’s Support Group program, contact Ballard Jackson at the DOE Oak Ridge Office at (865) 241-6137 or jacksonba@oro.doe.gov.

Oak Ridge tourism leader recognized as leading young professional

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Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau President Katy Brown has been recognized by the Southeast Tourism Society as one of the leading young professionals in the tourism industry.

Brown was recently honored as a member of the inaugural “Forty for the Future” Class of 2012, a press release said. She is one of 40 honorees chosen under the age of 40 who represent tourism-related businesses and organizations across the country.

“All of them have demonstrated leadership in their careers and communities and are beacons for others,” said Bill Hardman, president and chief executive officer of the Southeast Tourism Society. “Our objectives with ‘Forty for the Future’ are to recognize leadership, demonstrate how varied tourism jobs are, and inspire even younger people to consider tourism as a career.”

The press release said Brown has been with the ORCVB since 2001. She started as sales manager, then worked as vice president of communications, and has served as president of the organization for the past six years. She also received the Postma Young Professionals Medal in 2011 from the East Tennessee Economic Council.

“It’s an honor to be recognized for something that is truly a passion for me,” Brown said. “I’ve been given a story to tell, that so many here lived, so I feel like I am truly blessed by my surroundings and our unique history. I’m so honored to work with an incredible group, from our staff to our volunteers to our entire tourism team, I am only a cog in the wheel of this unique story.”

Brown has been recognized by other regional and state travel organizations that rely upon her leadership and experience for their own organizations, the release said. She serves on the Anderson County Tourism Council, the Middle East Tennessee Tourism Council Executive Committee, and the Southeast Tourism Society Board of Directors.

Visit the ORCVB website at www.oakridgevisitor.com or call (865) 482-7821 for more information.

TVA names new president, CEO

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William D. Johnson

William D. Johnson

The former head of Progress Energy Inc. in Raleigh, N.C., has been named president and chief executive officer of the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The TVA board of directors announced the appointment of William D. Johnson Monday morning. Johnson, 58, was chairman, president, and chief executive office of Progress Energy, an electric utility, from October 2007 to July 2012, a TVA press release said.

He will start at TVA, an $11 billion federal agency, on Jan. 1. Johnson will succeed Tom Kilgore, 64, who has served as TVA’s first president and CEO since 2006, the press release said.

TVA Board Chair Bill Sansom said in a Monday press conference at TVA’s Knoxville headquarters: “We are very fortunate to have someone of Bill Johnson’s caliber as TVA’s next president and CEO. Bill is a seasoned CEO with deep experience leading a company with a diverse energy portfolio—from coal and gas to nuclear, hydro and renewables. TVA will benefit from his strong leadership skills, deep industry expertise, and ability to drive employee engagement.”

According to Sansom, Johnson’s annual compensation will include a $950,000 salary and potential other compensation of $3 million. It  may be awarded based on short- and long-term incentives tied to performance goals and retention incentives, the press release said.

“I am excited and honored to be selected to lead this organization in its mission of providing low-cost and ever cleaner energy, and promoting stewardship of the resources of the Tennessee Valley,” Johnson said. “I am particularly pleased to be following in the footsteps of Tom Kilgore, an outstanding leader whom I have long admired.”

Johnson was with Progress Energy (previously CP&L) in a number of roles since 1992, including president and chief operating officer of Progress Energy, group president for Energy Delivery, president and chief executive officer for Progress Energy Service Company LLC, and general counsel and secretary for Progress Energy Inc. He was instrumental in the merger between Progress and Duke Energy, the press release said.

Prior to that, Johnson was a partner with the Raleigh office of Hunton and Williams, where he specialized in the representation of utilities.

Johnson served as vice chair and on the executive committee of the Edison Electric Institute and was chairman of the board of directors of the Nuclear Energy Institute. He was also a member of the boards of directors of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited, and other community and charitable organizations.

He has a a bachelor’s degree in history from Duke University and a law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Kilgore will continue to lead TVA until Johnson’s arrival, and then support his smooth transition into the federal agency, the press release said. Johnson will work from TVA’s headquarters in Knoxville.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporation owned by the U.S. government, and it provides electricity to nine million people in parts of seven southeastern states.

City doesn’t plan to appeal Applewood demolition decision

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Note: This story was updated on Nov. 7 to include links to the opinion.

The city’s top legal official on Monday said he doesn’t plan to appeal an appellate court decision that sent the order to demolish four Applewood Apartment buildings back to a municipal board.

“I don’t want to hold this up by appealing this any further,” Oak Ridge City Attorney Ken Krushenski said. “We’re going to do what the Court of Appeals said.”

The Oak Ridge Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals ordered the buildings demolished on Nov. 11, 2010. The order was upheld by the Anderson County Chancery Court, but Applewood Apartments owner Joseph J. Levitt Jr., a Knoxville attorney, appealed.

In a three-judge opinion filed Oct. 30, the Tennessee Court of Appeals in Knoxville said the Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals “acted without material evidence to support its decision to demolish the buildings.”

The appellate court said the board may only order demolitions when repair costs exceed 50 percent of property values. However, no evidence was presented at the 2010 Applewood hearing about the original condition or value of the buildings, or the repair costs, the court said.

The city won on all other issues, Krushenski said.

“As far as we’re concerned, everything else is over with,” he said.

Krushenski said the Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals will now have an evidentiary hearing that will be limited to the building and repair costs. He said the board will be able to consider demolition orders if repair costs exceed more than 50 percent of building values. A hearing date hasn’t been set yet.

In its opinion, the Court of Appeals said board member Joe Lee “moved to order the demolition of the subject buildings because he believed that (Levitt) had already been given an adequate amount of time in which to repair the buildings.

“While (the) owner’s continued noncompliance may have been infuriating to the board, the board did not have the power to order the demolition of property simply because owner failed to follow directions,” the court said.

The other issues reviewed by the court ranged from the constitutionality of administrative warrants used to inspect Applewood buildings to Lee’s alleged bias against Levitt.

Levitt could appeal the court’s decision to the Tennessee Supreme Court. He wasn’t available for comment late Monday afternoon

There are total of 10 Applewood Apartment buildings that have been ordered demolished. Krushenski said the other six demolition cases are pending in Anderson County Chancery Court.

The Oak Ridge City Court has ordered that three more buildings be repaired. That order has been appealed to Anderson County Circuit Court, Krushenski said.

The city has fought a code enforcement battle against the 13-building apartment complex on Hillside Road and Hunter Circle for several years. City officials say they want the buildings repaired, while Levitt says he has made repairs.

You can read the opinion here.

Council considers new police cars, take-home vehicles

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Five Oak Ridge police officers who moved into the city this year were motivated to do so at least in part by a program that allows them to take their police cars home.

Now, the Oak Ridge Police Department has five officers who are eligible for assigned vehicles under that program, but there are no vehicles available.

So, the Oak Ridge City Council tonight will consider buying eight patrol vehicles, including several new take-home cars as well as a few replacement vehicles.

The Take Home Vehicle Program started in September 2011. Oak Ridge Police Chief James T. Akagi said it increases officer visibility in the city and the neighborhoods where they live, allows quick response times, improves productivity, and boosts employee pride in department vehicles, resulting in better maintenance.

He said the ORPD fleet includes 43 vehicles. Twenty-one of them are assigned, and they last longer and get more miles, Akagi wrote in an Oct. 26 memo to Oak Ridge City Manager Mark S. Watson. He said the eight new cars, either Ford Interceptors or Dodge Chargers, could cost up to $340,000.

Tonight’s Oak Ridge City Council meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the Municipal Building Courtroom. The agenda is available here.

More information could be added later.

UT philosophy professor talks foreign policy Tuesday

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David Reidy

David Reidy

The head of the University of Tennessee Philosophy Department will discuss what moral principles, if any, ought to guide U.S. foreign policy during a Tuesday presentation to the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge.

The presentation by philosophy professor David Reidy is titled Toward a Just Foreign Policy,” and it starts at noon Tuesday in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

Reidy’s presentation will also discuss the relevance of human rights to U.S. foreign policy, a press release said.

The presentation is part of the biweekly Lunch with the League, and it is open to the public. There is no cost to attend, and reservations are not needed.

Box lunches will be available starting at 11:30 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis for $7. Those who attend can also bring their own lunches. Coffee and tea will be provided.

Reidy received his doctorate from the University of Kansas and a law degree from Indiana University. He is a distinguished humanities professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tennessee.

The Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church is at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Zaxby’s could open on Oak Ridge Turnpike in February

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Zaxby's Oak Ridge Turnpike

Volunteer Excavating of Maryville clears a one-acre lot at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Division Road for a new Zaxby’s chicken restaurant that could open in mid-February.

A Zaxby’s chicken restaurant could open on Oak Ridge Turnpike in February, one of the owners said Friday.

The new 3,500-square-foot store will be on about one acre that used to be a car lot at the corner of Division Road and Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The site has been cleared already, and building construction could start this week, said Chris Andrews of Knoxville, who will co-own the restaurant with Brandon Barrett of Athens, Ga. But the construction schedule will depend upon the weather, Andrews said.

He said Zaxby’s specializes in chicken fingers and chicken wings and is also known for its chicken and buffalo salads. It’s a step above fast food, Andrews said, but the higher-quality food is still served quickly.

It will feature sit-down dining and a drive-through and be open from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Andrews said.

Zaxby’s restaurants typically have a crew of about 50 workers, and the search for a general manager could start in the next week or so.

Zaxby’s is one of three new completed or proposed chicken restaurants in Oak Ridge. Popeyes recently replaced Wishbones on South Illinois Avenue south of Oak Ridge Turnpike, and a Bojangles’ has been proposed next to the former Dean Stallings Ford on South Illinois Avenue.

A site plan has been approved for Bojangles, but a building permit hasn’t been issued yet, said Monica Austin Carroll, Oak Ridge Community Development division manager.

Zaxby’s will be in a high-traffic area bustling with commercial activity as well as the Methodist Medical Center. Andrews said he expects lunches, in particular, to be busy. The traffic light at Division Road and the Turnpike will help make it easier for cars to get in and out of Zaxby’s, he said.

Andrews said he and Barrett also own two other Zaxby’s stores, one in Lenoir City and another in Maryville. This will be their third in East Tennessee.

He said Zaxby’s, which is based in Athens, Ga., is gaining a foothold in East Tennessee, and Oak Ridge was targeted as “ready for the brand.”

“Oak Ridge is still growing,” Andrews said. “There’s a lot of jobs. It’s still a thriving community.”

He said there are Oak Ridge residents who now drive to Lenoir City and Clinton to eat at Zaxby’s. They won’t have to any more.

Zaxby’s was founded in 1990 and now operates more than 560 stores in 13 states, including Tennessee.

Veterans Day Parade registration due Friday

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Entries for Anderson County’s sixth annual Veterans Day Parade are due by Friday.

The parade will be at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12, in downtown Clinton. There will be a celebration of veterans in the Ritz Theater afterward.

The parade is organized by Anderson County Veteran Services Director Leon Jaquet, Clinton American Legion Post #172, Sons of the Revolution-Anderson County Chapter, and Anderson County Chamber of Commerce.

Entries are due by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9. There is no entry fee, but donations will be accepted and used for advertising and renting the Ritz Theater.

There is a two-vehicle limit for motorized parade entries, although that limit doesn’t apply to military or emergency vehicles.

Call Jaquet at (865) 463-6803 or Lynn Fox at (865) 719-9947 for more information or a registration application.

More information on the parade and rules are available here.

Community Band concert features classical, blues, modern music

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A concert by the Oak Ridge Community Band on Nov. 11 will feature music that includes classical, blues, and modern compositions.

The music has been selected by the band’s percussion section and leaders of the brass sections, which include horns, trumpets, baritones, trombones, and basses.

This Brasso Fortissimo concert is the second concert of the season in the Community Band’s “Voyage of Discovery,” which focuses on performing a number of pieces in the band’s music library that have not been played in a long time or have never been played at all, a press release said.

The concert starts at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, at the historic Grove Theater at 123 Randolph Road in Oak Ridge.

The Oak Ridge Community Band is directed by band leader Dale Pendley and assistant conductor Lisa Michaels. Pendley is a retired band director from the Oak Ridge Schools, and Michaels is a music educator in the Loudon County Schools, the press release said.

Admission to the Nov. 11 concert will be $8 for adults, $6 senior citizens and students, and free for subscription members with membership cards. Free refreshments will be provided in the lobby at the end of the performance.

For more information, visit the Community Band’s website at www.orcb.org or call (865) 482-3568.

AMSE hosts ‘Movies at the Museum’ in November, December

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Three movies, including “Jurassic Park” and a docudrama on the Manhattan Project, will be shown free at the American Museum of Science and Energy in November.

The museum will show three more films in December, including the 1998 movie “Godzilla.”

The showings are part of AMSE’s “Movies at the Museum” on Friday nights.

Here is more information on the movies:

  • Nov. 9—”The Beginning or The End.” This is a 1947 docudrama on the Manhattan Project and creation of the atomic bomb and later bombing of Japan. This movie kicks off “Movies at the Museum.” Many of the people depicted in the film were well-known government figures and scientists who were directly or indirectly involved in producing the atomic bomb during world War II, a press release said. Among those portrayed were U.S. President Harry S. Truman; Gen. Leslie R. Groves, head of the atomic bomb project; and J. Robert Oppenheimer, head of the team of scientists that developed the bomb.
  • Nov. 16—”Jurassic Park.” This film was produced in 1993 and focuses on an age-old fantasy that becomes a reality as dinosaurs are genetically re-created for the greatest theme park in this adaptation of Michael Crichton’s best-selling novel.
  • Nov. 30—”King Kong vs. Godzilla.” This is a movie from 1962 about a pharmaceutical company that captures King Kong and brings him to Japan, where he escapes from captivity and battles a recently released Godzilla.
  • Dec. 7—”The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms.” This 1953 film follows a carnivorous dinosaur that resulted from an arctic nuclear test, thawed out, and started making its way down the east coast of North America.
  • Dec. 14—”Godzilla.” In this 1998 movie, an enormous, radioactively mutated lizard runs rampant on the island of Manhattan.
  • Dec. 28—”Dinosaur.” This 2000 film is about an orphaned dinosaur raised by lemurs that joins an arduous trek to a sanctuary after a meteorite shower destroys his family home.

The press release said “Movies at the Museum” is presented by the AMSE Foundation and several businesses and organizations.

AMSE opens at 5:30 p.m. for the series, and the featured movie starts at 7 p.m. in the AMSE auditorium. For links to the six movie descriptions, reviews and ratings, click on www.amse.org for guidance in age or family-appropriate content.

The American Museum of Science and Energy is at 300 S. Tulane Ave. in Oak Ridge.

Hall touchdown propels Wildcats to 35-28 playoff victory

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Play Science Hill

Oak Ridge Wildcats quarterback Rian Hall, pictured at center above trying to outrun Science Hill defenders, rushed for a game-winning touchdown with 29.8 seconds to play in a first-round playoff game on Friday.

A six-yard touchdown run by Oak Ridge quarterback Rian Hall with 29.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter broke a tie Friday night and propelled the Wildcats to an exciting 35-28 first-round playoff victory over Science Hill.

Hall’s game-winning run followed a crucial 12-yard catch by Wildcats receiver Robert Valdez on a fourth-and-4 play with 1:02 left to play at Blankenship Field.

Oak Ridge (10-1) had a few two-touchdown leads during the game—ahead 21-7 in the second quarter and 28-14 in the third—but the Hilltoppers (9-2) rallied back behind Science Hill quarterback Reed Hayes to tie the game at 28 with 3:38 remaining.

“Tonight, we had to fight for everything, every first down, every yard,” Oak Ridge coach Scott Blade said, calling it an incredible game between two good teams.

The Wildcats travel to Maryville next week to play the top-ranked Rebels in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs. Maryville, which gave Oak Ridge its only loss during the regular season, eliminated Hardin Valley 42-10 on Friday.