Oak Ridge Today

Up to 52 Oak Ridge security jobs could be cut

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A total of 52 jobs could be cut at two federal sites in Oak Ridge, the Y-12 National Security Complex and the East Tennessee Technology Park, a security contractor said Monday.

The plan, which follows reviews by federal officials, calls for a reduction of up to 34 security police officer and three staff positions at Y-12, according to security contractor WSI Oak Ridge. It also calls for the elimination of up to 14 security police officer positions and one staff member at ETTP.

Company employees at Y-12 and ETTP will be offered a voluntary separation program, or VSP, and applications will be accepted until Friday.

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TVA to give Anderson County $24,000 per year for landfill property

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The Tennessee Valley Authority has agreed to pay Anderson County $24,000 a year to offset the loss of property tax revenues on land recently purchased by the utility for the eventual expansion of its coal ash storage facility around the Bull Run Steam Plant in Claxton, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.

The payment-in-lieu-of-taxes will offset the loss of some 155 acres and 24 homes that TVA purchased earlier this year, WYSH said.

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Repairs under way at Woodland Elementary School

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Woodland Elementary School Renovations

Workers replace bulging, cracking brick walls at Woodland Elementary School with a stucco-like material called EIFS.

Repair work has been under way this summer at Woodland Elementary School in Oak Ridge.

Workers are replacing the building’s bulging and cracking brick exterior with a stucco-like material called EIFS.

They’re also replacing shifting and sunken concrete slabs in three classrooms and putting a pier underneath the library, where walls had shifted and the building had dropped after soil underneath it had settled.

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Hope wants more retail, modernized homes, good relationship with schools

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Chuck Hope

Chuck Hope

It’s Chuck Hope’s first campaign for an elected office, but he already has some job experience.

Hope, a 49-year-old businessman, was appointed to serve on Oak Ridge City Council after former Council member Tom Hayes resigned in June 2011. Now, he’s running for a special three-month term on the city’s seven-member legislative body.

In recent forums and interviews, Hope has advocated for more retail development in Oak Ridge, modernizing older “legacy” homes, and reviving the city’s economic development fund.

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Body of woman reported missing found at Melton Hill Lake

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Rescuers Search for Missing Woman

Law enforcement authorities and volunteers search near Melton Lake Drive north of Edgemoor Road on Saturday for a woman reported as missing Friday. Her body was later found on the west bank of Melton Hill Lake.

The body of a woman reported missing on Friday was found Saturday afternoon on the west bank of Melton Hill Lake near the Bull Run Fossil Plant, authorities said.

Tara Ann Kobisk, 37, had been missing for about seven hours when a report was filed with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Friday evening, an Oak Ridge Police Department press release said.

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ORNL steam plant burns wood chips, saves energy

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ORNL Central Biomass Steam Plant

A steam plant that burns wood chips at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is expected to help save energy and reduce fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. At right is a blue wood chip hopper, at left in background is the exhaust stack, and at right in background is the steam plant.

A new steam plant that burns wood chips at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will save energy, reduce fossil fuel consumption, and cut greenhouse gas emissions, officials said Thursday.

The Central Biomass Steam Plant can produce 60,000 pounds of steam per hour. The steam is used to heat buildings during cold winter months and support research applications at ORNL.

The 21-megawatt plant is the flagship project in a $94 million, four-year-old Energy Savings Performance Contract with Johnson Controls Inc. of Milwaukee, Wis.

Officials had a dedication ceremony for the steam plant Thursday.

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Y-12 honors companies, advocates for small business success

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Y-12 Mentor Protege Agreement

Darrel Kohlhorst, president and general manager of B&W Y-12, at right, and Gary Johnson, president of CG Services Corporation, sign a mentor-protégé agreement as Johnson’s wife and CG Services Corporation Vice President Cindy Johnson looks on at the annual Socioeconomic Programs Awards ceremony held at Y-12’s New Hope Center on July 12. (Photos submitted by B&W Y-12)

The Y-12 National Security Complex honored six small businesses last week for “exceptional contributions” to its missions during Fiscal Year 2011.

The businesses were honored at the annual Socioeconomic Programs Awards reception held Thursday, July 12, a B&W Y-12 press release said.

Two Y-12 employees also were acknowledged for their role as small business advocates.

Honored as Y-12 2012 small businesses of the year were:

  • Small Business: SCI Consulting Services Inc.
  • Small Disadvantaged Business: GEM Technologies Inc.
  • Woman-Owned Small Business: G&S Construction Company Inc.
  • HUBZone Small Business: Oldenburg Group Incorporated
  • Veteran-Owned Small Business: Advantage Electronics Inc.
  • Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business: A1 Tactical and Safety

The two Y-12 employees honored as small business advocates of the year were Kealan Huckabee and Floyd Smith.

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Application deadline extended for AC circuit court clerk job

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Anderson County is still seeking qualified applicants to complete the unexpired term of the Circuit Court Clerk, and the deadline to apply has been extended, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.

The Anderson County Commission agreed Monday to extend the deadline for applications and resumes until Sept. 21., WYSH said.

Commissioners are expected to select the next Circuit Court Clerk during a special-called meeting at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 1.

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Anderson County Fair ends Saturday

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The Anderson County Fair is in its last two days at the fairgrounds in Clinton, and the gates open at 5 p.m. today.

Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for kids ages 6 through 12, and free for kids under 6. An armband that will let you ride the rides all night long costs $20.

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Channel 95 will feature live election results

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Channel 95, Anderson County’s public television station, will have a live broadcast during the Aug. 2 election, providing updates on voting results and interviews with candidates and community leaders.

The station is working with the Anderson County Election Commission to produce the broadcast, which starts at 8 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m. Aug. 2.

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Hoag named deputy manager of NNSA Production Office

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Daniel Hoag

Daniel Hoag

Federal officials have selected a deputy manager for a new federal office set up to oversee nuclear production missions in Oak Ridge and Amarillo, Texas.

Daniel Hoag has been named deputy manager of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Production Office, or NPO.

Established in June, that office provides federal oversight of nuclear production missions at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge and Pantex Plant in Amarillo.

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Government wants to lease space for displaced Federal Building workers

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Oak Ridge Federal Building

The General Services Administration, which owns the Federal Building in Oak Ridge, wants to lease commercial space for 150 to 175 employees displaced after the Federal Building shut down in June.

About 150 to 175 employees could move into commercial office space while the U.S. General Services Administration removes asbestos-containing insulation from the Federal Building in Oak Ridge.

The GSA posted a notice last week on FedBizOpps.gov that it wants to lease about 30,000 square feet of temporary space in Oak Ridge, potentially for up to six months, with a second six-month term possible. Leasing proposals were due by Tuesday.

Officials said they are moving quickly to find space for employees displaced after a mid-June inspection found asbestos-containing insulation had fallen into heating and cooling ducts at the Federal Building.

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