Oak Ridge Today

See aerial video of the demolition of the former Oak Ridge Mall

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An aerial view on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016, of the demolition of the former Oak Ridge Mall starting at the former Sears store at bottom center and extending into the interior enclosed spaces at the mall. Belk is to the left of this picture, and JCPenney and the former Goody’s store are at upper right. (Photo courtesy Brad Jones/BBB-TV, Channel 12)

 

Here is an aerial video from Wednesday of the demolition work at the former Oak Ridge Mall. The video was produced by Brad Jones of BBB-TV, Channel 12, and it is used here with his permission.

The three-minute video starts at the area of the former Sears store, which is now demolished and is pictured above at bottom center. Dick’s Sporting Goods and T.J. Maxx will be built in that area, possibly starting in October.

The parking lot at the top of the photo above is the parking lot between JCPenney, at top right, and the Cinemark Tinseltown theater, which is to the left of this picture. The road curving across the top right of the picture is Rutgers Avenue, and the road angling across the top left is Wilson Street. Walmart is off to the bottom right.

The mall is being redeveloped as Main Street Oak Ridge, a 58-acre mixed-use project that could cost about $75 million total and include retailers, restaurants, residential units, and a hotel. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Cedar Barren Cleanup, Prairie Grass Extravaganza on Saturday, Aug. 20

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Oak Ridge Cedar Barren

September blooms at Oak Ridge Cedar Barren, courtesy Doug Colclasure. (Submitted photo)

 

There will be a free opportunity to see prairie goldenrod (Solidago ptarmicoides), naked-stem sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis), and Torrey’s mountain mint (Pycnanthemum torrei) at the Oak Ridge Cedar Barren on Saturday, August 20. This will be combined with a workday to remove invasive plants, a press release said.

Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, this barren is a joint project of the City of Oak Ridge, the State Natural Areas Division, and Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, or TCWP. The area is one of just a few cedar barrens in East Tennessee, and it is subject to invasion by Chinese lespedeza, Japanese privet, autumn olive, mimosa, Nepal grass, multiflora rose, and woody plants that threaten the system’s prairie grasses. [Read more…]

One lane of Pennsylvania to be closed Aug. 15, 16

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One lane of Pennsylvania Avenue will close on Monday and Tuesday morning next week for street repairs.

The road is scheduled to be closed between West Outer Drive and Hillside Road at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, August 15, and Tuesday, August 16. [Read more…]

Clinton Driver Services Center to close Sept. 9, move to Oak Ridge

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security announced the current Clinton Driver Services Center will be closed Friday, September 9, and re-open Monday, September 12, in a new location.  The new location is located at 475 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

The Clinton Driver Services Center, located at 704 North Charles G. Sievers Boulevard in Clinton, will stop serving customers at the close of business on Thursday, September 8.

The new facility located at 475 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge will be open for business on Monday, September 12. [Read more…]

Jefferson Middle School Eagles 2016 football schedule

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Note: This story was updated at 4:25 p.m. Aug. 20.

Here is the 2016 schedule for the Jefferson Middle School Eagles football team. The Eagles start the season at 6 p.m. Thursday, August 11, at Lenoir City.

All games kick off at 6 p.m., unless noted otherwise. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats 2016 soccer schedule

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Here is the 2016 schedule for the Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats soccer team. The final preseason game is at home against Maryville at 7 p.m. Thursday, August 11.

Preseason

  1. July 30 — Morristown West at KIL Jamboree  (Away) 1:30 p.m.
  2. July 30  — West High School at KIL Jamboree  (Away) 3 p.m.
  3. August 2 — South Doyle (Away) 7 p.m.
  4. August 4  — CAK (Home) 7 p.m.
  5. August 9  — Alcoa (Away) 6:30 p.m.
  6. August 11 — Maryville (Home) 7 p.m.

Regular Season [Read more…]

Applewood Apartments will close Sept. 30, tenants told

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Applewood Apartments Hunter Circle Aug 8 2016 1

Tenants at Applewood Apartments have been told the buildings will be closed Sept. 30, 2016, according to a letter they received this weekend. Pictured above is an Applewood Apartments building on Hunter Circle on Monday, Aug. 8, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1 a.m. Aug. 9.

Tenants at Applewood Apartments have been told the buildings will be closed September 30, according to a letter they received this weekend.

The letter was from Applewood Apartments owner Joseph J. Levitt Jr., a Knoxville attorney.

Levitt was not available to talk to a reporter on Monday.

The letter told tenants that Levitt, who cited health-related reasons for the closing, was providing them a 60-day notice. [Read more…]

See RealtyLink’s published version of Main Street Oak Ridge site plan here

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The site plan for Main Street Oak Ridge is pictured above as posted on the website of RealtyLink, the South Carolina-based developer, as of early August 2016. (Original image can be found here.)

 

Here is a slightly different version of the site plan for Main Street Oak Ridge that we published last week. This color version is posted on the website of RealtyLink, the South Carolina-based developer. (See a PDF version that you can enlarge here.)

This site plan shows the locations of seven of the eight new stores that have been announced so far. The only store not included on this map is Electronic Express, which is expected to be built next to PetSmart.

Main Street Oak Ridge, a 58-acre project that could cost about $75 million total, is being built by RealtyLink, a developer based in Greenville, South Carolina.

The retailers shown above include the two remaining anchors in the former Oak Ridge Mall, Belk and JCPenney. The enclosed space between those two stores is being demolished. Demolition work started at the former Sears store in July. [Read more…]

Business workshop: Expand your business in the global marketplace

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A workshop on Thursday, August 18, at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will help you take your business to the next level in the global marketplace.

The workshop is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon August 18.

Speakers will cover topics such as:

  • Export financing and export credit insurance with Ex-Im Bank
  • Logistics and freight forwarding, and export compliance
  • Legal issues and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)
  • Export assistance available through the Tennessee Small Business Development Center

[Read more…]

Next Veterans Breakfast in Anderson County on Saturday

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The next Veterans Breakfast in Anderson County is on Saturday, August 13, at the Clinton Community Center.

Military veterans from Anderson County are invited, a press release said.

The breakfast is hosted by Anderson County citizens, and it sponsored this month by AEG: American Employer Group in Clinton, the press release said.

“Chow line” opens at 8:30 a.m., and there will be a brief program at 9 a.m., the press release said. [Read more…]

New Oak Ridge Schools website goes live next weekend—you can preview it now

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Oak Ridge Schools will have a new website starting next weekend, and you can preview the site now.

The new website is a district-wide website, meaning the individual schools’ websites won’t change for now.

The new district website is being created by local designers from Girl on the Roof, a press release said.

“We anticipate the updated user experience will be much more inviting for families to engage with our daily communication tools, including calendars, blog posts, and social media feeds,” the press release said.

You can preview the new website here: http://orschools.wpengine.com/. [Read more…]

Roane State to offer extended business hours beginning Aug. 15

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Roane State Community College will offer extended business hours to help students get ready for the start of the new semester.

Extended hours for the Roane County and Oak Ridge campuses are:

  • Monday, August 15-Thursday, August 18, from 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
  • Saturday, August 20, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
  • Monday, August 22-Thursday, August 25, from 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

[Read more…]