Summer vacation has started, and a dozen children and at least as many adults enjoy the interactive fountain in Jackson Square at noon Tuesday, June 7, 2016. (Photo by Ray Evans)
New DOE plan calls for research, technology to help fight mercury contamination, including in Oak Ridge
Y-12 Process Buildings and Mercury Use Area
U.S. Department of Energy officials have released a new plan to address mercury contamination at the Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee and Savannah River Site in South Carolina. It advocates for research and the development of technologies that could resolve key technical uncertainties with mercury in environmental remediation, the deactivation and decommissioning of facilities, and processing waste in tanks.
The Oak Ridge Reservation and Savannah River Site both used mercury in industrial-scale processes. At the Oak Ridge Reservation, large quantities of mercury were used at the Y-12 National Security Complex from the early 1950s until the early 1960s. During the peak period of operations, according to estimates from the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, or OREM, 700,000 pounds of a total 20 million pounds of mercury that were used were released into the surrounding environment.
Ongoing mercury abatement and remediation efforts at Y-12 that began in the 1980s have decreased overall mercury releases to the environment, the DOE Office of Environmental Management, or EM, said in a May 31 newsletter.
But elevated concentrations remain in certain water, soil, and facilities, federal officials said. [Read more…]
DOE: Oak Ridge’s Building K-27 being torn down quickly
Crews are moving at an impressive pace on Building K-27, completing more than 65 percent of the demolition since February. (Photo by DOE)
In February 2016, demolition crews started tearing down the K-27 gaseous diffusion building.
Now, only months later, the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and its contractor UCOR have already completed demolition on more than 65 percent of the four-story, 383,000-square-foot facility, the U.S. Department of Energy said.
K-27 is the last of five large gaseous diffusion facilities to be torn down at the East Tennessee Technology Park, or ETTP, which was formerly known as the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant and often referred to as the former K-25 site.
“Due to the heavy contamination and state of the 1940s facility, K-27 was one of the environmental management’s highest cleanup priorities,” the DOE Office of Environmental Management, or EM, said in a May 31 newsletter. “The progress taking down the facility moves EM closer to fulfilling its Vision 2016—the removal of all five gaseous diffusion buildings from the site by year’s end. It is not only a significant goal for EM and Oak Ridge, but it will also mark the first time in the world that a uranium enrichment complex has been cleaned and removed.” [Read more…]
ORAU wins award for procurement of ‘green’ electronics
Cindy Snow (left), ORAU procurement manager, and Angela McConnell (right), ORAU contract specialist, were presented a 2016 EPEAT Sustainable Purchaser Award by Green Electronics Council CEO Nancy Gillis (center) during the organization’s recent awards ceremony. The award recognizes ORAU’s excellence in the procurement of green electronics. (Photo by ORAU)
ORAU has won an award that recognizes excellence in the procurement of “green” electronics, or those electronics that have been manufactured to conserve energy, eliminate environmentally sensitive materials, and increase recyclability, a press release said.
ORAU won the EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) Sustainable Purchaser Award from the Green Electronics Council.
ORAU was among 10 corporations that received a three-star rating, the highest possible rating, indicating procurement of electronics in all three categories (personal computers and displays, imaging equipment, and televisions), the press release said.
The Green Electronics Council works with manufacturers, governments, trade associations, and environmental advocacy groups to evaluate and endorse environmentally responsible products. The EPEAT tool provides companies with a simplified way to purchase environmentally trustworthy electronics and to quantify their energy consumption reductions. [Read more…]
ORHS classes of 1974-1978 reunion in September
The Oak Ridge High School Class of 1976 is holding their 40th reunion during the weekend of September 23-25, 2016.
The class is inviting the classes of 1974 through 1978, those who attended school with class members but may have graduated elsewhere, and our teachers and staff to join the festivities which are scheduled as follows:
- Friday, September 23, will be an informal gathering at Blankenship Field as the Oak Ridge Wildcats host Sevier County in the Homecoming game. The tailgate party will begin at 5 p.m. near the upper gate, and then they will follow the team onto the field for recognition prior to the game, which starts at 7 p.m. Admission to the game is $7 per person.
- The dressy casual main event on Saturday, September 24, will be held at the new Calhoun’s (formerly Riverside Grille) at 100 Melton Lake Drive. A cash bar starts at 5 p.m. and hors d’oeuvres at 6 p.m. Come enjoy music, dancing, and reminiscing along the waterway in this beautiful venue until 11:30 p.m., a press release said. Admission for the main event is $43.86 through August 14 and obtained by registration at orhs76reunion.com.
- A lunch picnic gathering takes place on Sunday, September 25, at Clark Center Park (known as Carbide Park in our day) at 12:30 p.m. Bring your own lunch and family for a final informal get-together of the weekend, the press release said.
Y-12 to conduct emergency management exercise on Wednesday
The sign at the Scarboro Road entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on December 16, 2014. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Emergency response personnel from the National Nuclear Security Administration and Consolidated Nuclear Security, along with federal, state, and local emergency management personnel, will conduct an emergency management exercise June 8 in and around the Y‑12 National Security Complex.
During this exercise, people in the vicinity of Y-12 may observe personnel simulating response activities and performing environmental monitoring or sampling, but these offsite activities are part of the exercise, a press release said.
This event is part of emergency management exercises conducted on a regular basis by the U.S. Department of Energy facilities in Oak Ridge. These exercises test the ability of emergency personnel to respond quickly and effectively to emergency situations, and ensure that the public, Y-12 employees, and the environment would be protected in the event of an actual emergency at the Oak Ridge Reservation, the press release said.
Council approves budget with no tax increase, more money for schools
Note: This story was last updated at 12:15 a.m.
The Oak Ridge City Council approved a budget on Monday that does not include a property tax rate increase, but it does include more money for schools and it anticipates increases in the trash fee and water and sewer rates.
The budget passed in a 6-1 vote in the first of two readings this month. The second and final reading is Monday, June 13.
Council rejected one motion to lower the $2.52 property tax rate by 4.4 cents and another to take away the additional $538,048 requested by Oak Ridge Schools and put it into the capital fund instead.
The budget does not increase the property tax rate for the ninth year in a row. After five-year reappraisals last year, the rate is now set at $2.52 per $100 of assessed value.
As approved on first reading Monday, the budget includes a 3 percent pay adjustment that will move municipal employees along their pay scales, helping to separate those who have worked for the city for a while from those who have just started. The school budget, which was approved by the Oak Ridge Board of Education in May, also includes 3 percent salary increases. [Read more…]
McCulley, supervisor of court deputies, dies of cancer
Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Corporal John McCulley, who was supervisor of court deputies, died Friday after a courageous battle with cancer, Sheriff Paul White said Monday. McCulley was 51.
McCulley began his law enforcement career with the Sheriff’s Department in April 1991. He served first as a corrections deputy and worked in court security the last several years, White said. He was promoted to corporal in November 2011 and was supervisor of the court deputies.
“John was a big man with a big smile and a big heart,” White said. “He always had a smile for everyone.”
Known as “Joe” to his family and “Big John” to his law enforcement friends, John is preceded in death by his father, Johnny McCulley; his late wife, Mary McCulley; and brother, Lynn McCulley. [Read more…]
Deputy goes ‘above and beyond’: Replaces student’s lost items on Safety Patrol trip
Anderson County Deputy Shawn Bannach went above and beyond for a Norwood Elementary School student on Sunday, replacing her lost gift bag items during a AAA Safety Patrol Trip in Washington, D.C., school officials said. (Photo used with permission of Norwood Elementary School)
Note: This story was updated at 4:15 p.m. June 6.
Anderson County Deputy Shawn Bannach went above and beyond for a Norwood Elementary School student on Sunday, replacing her lost gift bag items during a AAA Safety Patrol Trip in Washington, D.C., school officials said.
“We had a student very upset because she waited in line for over an hour at the National Zoo to buy a stuffed animal, a mug, and a tumbler on our AAA Safety Patrol trip,” Norwood Elementary School said in a Facebook post. “She lost her gift bag and asked Officer Bannach from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department to please let her know if someone turned it in. The next time we saw him, he handed her a bag with the items she had lost.”
Bannach had gone and bought the same things at the gift shop, the school said. [Read more…]
Dodson—teacher, community leader—running for City Council
Jim Dodson
Jim Dodson, an Oak Ridge art teacher and community leader, has announced that he will be a candidate for Oak Ridge City Council in the November 8 election.
Dodson, a teacher with Oak Ridge Schools for 29 years, has a strong record of community service and leadership on several civic boards and organizations, a press release said.
“I will definitely work alongside my Oak Ridge and East Tennessee neighbors for a better quality of life in our community,” Dodson said. “I hope to give our residents a voice on City Council and continue to promote excellent educational opportunities for all our kids and young adults.
“I will also continue to help recruit businesses and families to Oak Ridge as the place to relocate. I look forward to working as an Oak Ridge City Council member to maintain and improve all city services while providing safe and thriving neighborhoods. It’s my vision that what Oak Ridge has to offer should not be a secret anymore.” [Read more…]
Small business owner seeks to retain seat on County Commission
Angeleque McNutt
Anderson County Commissioner Angeleque McNutt wants to keep her seat on County Commission, and she has announced that she is a candidate in the August 4 election.
McNutt, who owns Rainbow Florist in Oak Ridge, was appointed to replace Robin Biloski on Anderson County Commission when Biloski resigned on August 3 because she and her husband Bill moved to Madeira Beach, Florida.
McNutt now represents District 8, one of two commissioners in that district (Myron Iwanski is the other commissioner). The district includes Emory Valley, Hendrix Creek, and Woodland in Oak Ridge.
McNutt’s appointment to the seat by the County Commission in August 2015 was through the August 2016 county general election. [Read more…]
Oak Ridge Wildcats Basketball Camp starts Tuesday
The Oak Ridge Wildcats Basketball Camp starts with a Shooting Camp on Tuesday. Basketball Camp also features a Skills Camp in July.
The Shooting Camp is June 7-8. The Skills Camp is July 11-13.
All camps are scheduled from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Learn more about the camps and registration here: Oak Ridge Basketball Camp 2016. [Read more…]
