Oak Ridge Today

WYSH: TDOT gives Clinton an update on ‘green bridge’ replacement

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Hon. William Everette Lewallen Memorial Bridge

The Hon. William Everette Lewallen Memorial Bridge on Clinch Avenue is pictured above near downtown Clinton in this file photo from December 2013.

 

Information from WYSH Radio

Clinton City Manager Roger Houck gave WYSH Radio in Clinton an update on Wednesday morning on the project to replace the green bridge that connects South Clinton and Clinton on Highway 25W, also known as Clinton Highway and Clinch Avenue. The bridge is currently structurally sound and safe, but the Tennessee Department of Transportation said that could change over the next few years, hence the replacement project.

Houck said that TDOT had earlier indicated that they would put the project out for bids in the second quarter of this year with construction slated to begin in the third quarter, but the city was recently informed that the timetable has been moved back some, with bids expected to be be sought in the third quarter. Construction on the approximately $21 million project could begin late this year or, more likely, early next year. [Read more…]

Anderson County awarded Excellence in Financial Reporting Certificate

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Excellence in Financial Reporting Certificate being presented by Steve Emert, County Commission chairman, right, and Myron Iwanski, Finance Committee chairman, left, to Natalie Erb, Finance Department director. (Submitted photo)

The Excellence in Financial Reporting Certificate being presented by Steve Emert, Anderson County Commission chairman, right, and Myron Iwanski, Finance Committee chairman, left, to Natalie Erb, Finance Department director. (Submitted photo)

 

The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting has been awarded to Anderson County by the Government Finance Officers Association for its comprehensive annual financial report, a press release said. The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of government and financial reporting.

The Anderson County annual financial report was judged by an impartial panel to meet high standards of the program, which includes demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story, the press release said.

“The finance staff, lead by Natalie Erb, have done an outstanding job in managing the county’s finances in a challenging year that included a change in the financial management system and several staff changes” said Myron Iwanski, chairman of the Anderson County Finance Committee. “Comprehensive financial policies and practices are being put in place.” [Read more…]

Anderson County Animal Care & Control partnering with Finding Rover, a facial recognition app for your pet

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, left, Animal Care and Control Director Brian Porter, and Officer Jimmy Miller display the new website andersonanimals.org and the new smart phone app to connect lost pets with owners. (Submitted photo)

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, left, Animal Care and Control Director Brian Porter, and Officer Jimmy Miller display the new website andersonanimals.org and the new smart phone app to connect lost pets with owners. (Submitted photo)

 

Anderson County Animal Care and Control announced a new partnership this week with Finding Rover, a new facial recognition app for your pet. Anderson County Animal Care and Control, or ACACC, will now use smart phone facial recognition technology to help identify and reunite lost dogs with their worried owners, a press release said.

It’s one of several developments announced this week by Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, Anderson County Animal Care and Control Director Brian Porter, and Officer Jimmy Miller. The other announcements: a new website, www.andersonanimals.org, to help better connect Anderson County citizens with the information they need and an updated name for the department.

The new website will help citizens understand local laws and procedures, provides helpful tips in areas such as locating a lost pet, and helps direct residents to the appropriate agency for animal issues not under the purview of Anderson County Animal Care and Control, among other information, the press release said.

The department is also announcing an updated name that adds the word “care” to its department identity, the press release said. Now called Anderson County Animal Care and Control, the change is to reflect the department’s broadened efforts in animal welfare, education, and partnership with the community—not just “controlling” animals at large, the press release said. [Read more…]

Cast your vote in ‘Dream It. Do It.’ middle school competition

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

CLINTON—The videos are in, and it is now time to vote in Anderson County’s “Dream It. Do It.” middle school competition. The program is in its second year and has grown from four to six schools, including two from the Oak Ridge school system.

“Dream It. Do It.” is sponsored by the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce, Anderson County Schools, Oak Ridge Schools, and Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, or CNS, the managing contractor at Y-12 National Security Complex. It is designed to bring student awareness of job opportunities in advanced manufacturing, a press release said.

Using GoPro cameras provided by CNS, six teams of eighth-graders were paired with area industries to create videos to tell the companies’ stories. These videos are then posted online for public voting. Each winning team member receives a GoPro camera, also provided by CNS.

This year’s participant teams included: Clinton Middle School and Aisin, Jefferson Middle School and Protomet, Lake City Middle School and Techmer PM, Norris Middle School and Eagle Bend, Norwood Middle School and Clayton Homes, and Robertsville Middle School and SL America. [Read more…]

Anderson County Chamber of Commerce has job fair in Oak Ridge on Thursday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce will host a Job Fair to recruit employees for local businesses and industries on Thursday, April 27, from 3-7 p.m. at New Hope Center in Oak Ridge. This one-day event allows job seekers to connect face-to-face with local businesses and industries seeking employees, a press release said.

Attendees may be able to submit resumes, complete applications, schedule interviews, and make contacts for future job openings. Admission and parking are free, the press release said.

New Hope Center is at the Y-12 National Security Complex at 602 Scarboro Road. [Read more…]

‘Fore’ the Girls: Girls Inc. has Golf Classic on May 8

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Girls Inc. Golf Classic

Girls Incorporated of Oak Ridge is hosting its 20th Annual Golf Classic on Monday, May 8, at the Oak Ridge Country Club.

“What a better way to kick off spring than a beautiful day on the course supporting our next generation of women!” a press release said.

The Golf Classic this year will feature first- and second-place team prizes, division prizes, prizes for closest to the pin, longest drive, and a putting contest.

“This fun day on the course will include refreshments and snacks as well as a fabulous dinner from the Oak Ridge Country Club by the recently remodeled pool and patio,” the press release said.

This year, the funds received from the Golf Classic sponsors and team fees will all support the upcoming Girls Inc. programs. Girls Inc. supports more than 900 girls per year in intentional and research based programs to empower girls to be healthy, educated, and independent, the press release said. [Read more…]

STEM Stories inspires budding scientists, mathematicians

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Erin Webb, agricultural engineer at ORNL, answers a question from a student at ORAU Stem Stories on Thursday, April 20, 2017. (Photo by ORAU)

Erin Webb, agricultural engineer at ORNL, answers a question from a student at ORAU STEM Stories on Thursday, April 20, 2017. (Photo by ORAU)

 

Real-life scientists discuss their work, share advice with students interested in pursuing STEM careers

Be kind and show up every day.

That’s the advice Erin Webb, an agricultural engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory gave to young people during ORAU’s second STEM Stories event on Thursday, April 20. STEM Stories gives students interested in STEM careers the opportunity to learn from and interact with scientists working in the region.

Webb works in bioenergy, specifically focused on finding solutions for transporting and storing large quantities of biomass like feedstocks for commercial use so it can be converted to energy. She was joined by Jibo Sanyal, a computer scientist at ORNL whose work focuses on geo-computing, which he described as using computers to solve problems like long-term weather concerns, the resilience of environments and more.

Webb told the 30 students and their parents gathered for the event that while STEM careers are all about math and science, they should never forget to factor in the people they work with. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. [Read more…]

Main Street Oak Ridge update: New stores will open soon

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Dick_s Sporting Goods sign

Crews used a crane to lift the Dick’s Sporting Goods sign into place at Main Street Oak Ridge on Thursday afternoon, April 20, 2017. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

This story and photos are from the April 2017 City of Oak Ridge newsletter.

Another new store sign went up at Main Street Oak Ridge last week: Dick’s Sporting Goods. Crews used a crane to lift the sign into place (see video here) on the afternoon of Thursday, April 20, the City of Oak Ridge said in a newsletter.

This is the second sign to go up at Main Street Oak Ridge, the city said. The first was at T.J.Maxx. Crews installed a sign on both entrances for the store in late March. T.J.Maxx and Dick’s Sporting Goods are expected to be the first stores to open at Main Street Oak Ridge later in the spring or early summer.

Workers are also continuing to make progress on the buildings that will house six other new stores: four of them (Ulta, Rack Room Shoes, Rue 21, and Maurice’s) will be located next door to Belk. Construction on PetSmart and Electronic Express began in February. Crews are still working on the exterior of that building, which is located opposite of Belk. Preliminary and framing work on some additional retail space is also under way, the city said.

Vertical construction began earlier this year with the T.J.Maxx and Dick’s Sporting Goods complex near Walmart. [Read more…]

Learn more about total solar eclipse during Dick Smyser Community Lecture in May

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Photo courtesy National Weather Service

Photo courtesy National Park Service

 

Educator Chap Percival will discuss the upcoming August 21 solar eclipse during a May 18 lecture in Oak Ridge.

Percival will be the featured speaker at this year’s Annual Dick Smyser Community Lecture Series.

The free lecture is scheduled for Thursday, May 18, at the American Museum of Science and Energy, which is at 300 South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge. A reception will be held in the museum lobby starting at 5:30 p.m., and the lecture will start at 6 p.m. in the museum auditorium.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, blocking at least part of the sun as viewed from some areas of Earth. During a total solar eclipse, the moon completely obscures the sun so that only the sun’s corona is visible for a moment in time.  On August 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse will be visible along a roughly 67-mile-wide path across the United States, from Oregon to South Carolina, a press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge received more than 6.3 inches of rain during storms, city says

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Fallen Tree House April 2017 Storms 1

Oak Ridge received more than 6.3 inches of rain during the storms this past weekend, officials said Monday, April 24, 2017. That amount of rain made the ground extremely soggy and caused large trees to start falling all across the area, the city said. Several homes and cars were damaged, and there were reports of power outages. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

Oak Ridge received more than 6.3 inches of rain during the storms this past weekend, officials said.

That amount of rain made the ground extremely soggy and caused large trees to start falling all across the area, the city said. Several homes and cars were damaged, and there were reports of power outages.

Power was nearly 100 percent restored, but the cleanup was still under way Monday afternoon. [Read more…]

Anderson County trustee offered statewide job

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Rodney Archer

Rodney Archer

Anderson County Trustee Rodney Archer has been offered an executive director job with the County Officials Association of Tennessee, a press release said.

The County Officials Association of Tennessee promotes more efficient county government throughout all Tennessee counties, the press release said. It consists of members from county clerk, court clerk, register of deeds, and county trustee associations in the state.

“I am proud to have been offered the position of executive director of COAT, but I have not seen a contract or details, as I was only offered the position late last night,” Archer said in a press release Monday. “Once the details are laid out before me and I accept, the COAT board will meet on May 9 to approve my hiring. If the board approves my hiring, I would not assume my new role until later this summer. If all that occurs, then I will resign as trustee and provide for a smooth transition for whomever the county commission appoints as the new trustee. My goal in this process will be to leave the trustee’s office in the best possible hands possible for the people of Anderson County.”

If Archer accepts the position to lead COAT, Archer would be expected to direct training and guidance to county governments in an effort to replicate those successes across the state. [Read more…]

Suck It Up Buttercup KTM 5k in memory of Kerry Trammell on May 7

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Suck It Up Buttercup KTM 5k Bibs May 7 2017

The Suck It Up Buttercup KTM 5k in Oak Ridge on Sunday, May 7, will be in memory of Kerry Trammell.

The run is presented by Road Kill Timing and United Way of Anderson County.

Kerry Trammell was an active member of the Oak Ridge and Anderson County community. He was involved in almost everything around town, a press release said.

“He was passionate about senior services, emergency response and the beautiful greenways and parks,” the press release said.

The funds raised will help United Way fund programs that were important to Trammell and to which he dedicated his life. [Read more…]