Oak Ridge Today

Big day: Main Street Oak Ridge, Manhattan Project Park on Thursday’s agenda

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Main Street Oak Ridge Presentation

Pictured above during a presentation on Main Street Oak Ridge last week are Crosland Southeast partner James Downs, right; Barry James, Crosland Southeast senior vice president, center; and Houston E. Daugherty, Cannon and Cannon vice president.

 

A vote that could help Main Street Oak Ridge, the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall, is on Thursday’s agenda. So is an open house on the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park.

They are among two of the biggest projects in Oak Ridge in years, and both are considered key parts of an economic renaissance that also includes new business development along Oak Ridge Turnpike and South Illinois Avenue, a new Kroger Marketplace shopping center, the proposed multi-billion-dollar Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex, and the announcement by metal powder manufacturing company CVMR this month that it will move its operations from Toronto to Oak Ridge, investing $313 million and adding 620 jobs.

A rezoning has been requested for Main Street Oak Ridge. It will be considered by the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission during a meeting that starts at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 26, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom. The Planning Commission will also consider a planned unit development, or PUD, master plan for the project. [Read more…]

Planning to preserve history of K-25, which could be part of national park

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K-25 Building Aerial View

Now demolished, the former mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building, pictured above, was once used to enrich uranium for atomic weapons and commercial nuclear power plants. Located in west Oak Ridge, the site could become part of a new Manhattan Project National Historical Park. There is a separate effort to preserve K-25’s history; that work could be incorporated into the new park. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy)

 

It was once the world’s largest building under one roof and part of the one of the largest industrial projects ever, a top-secret program to build the world’s first atomic weapons in World War II.

Today the building is gone—demolition was completed in December 2013—but the stories of what took place inside the former mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building could live on in a replica equipment building, viewing tower, and history center.

And K-25 could become part of a new Manhattan Project National Historical Park approved by Congress in December and signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 19. The 14-page bill was the culmination of 15 years of work, said Colin Colverson, Manhattan Project Park lead in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office.

The law recognizes the Manhattan Project as one of the most significant events in U.S. history, with assets and history that must be preserved. It’s considered one of the top scientific achievements of the 20th century, and Oak Ridge residents still marvel at how quickly the three local sites (K-25, X-10, and Y-12) were built and began operating in all-out race to build an atomic bomb before Germany. [Read more…]

Five more spring nature walks planned on Oak Ridge Reservation

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Five more nature walks are planned this spring on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation with themes of frog calls and bat monitoring, wildflowers and forest growth, bird watching, invasive plants, reptiles, and amphibians.

The frog calls and bat monitoring walk is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 4, and will be concentrated in the ponds around East Tennessee Technology Park. Wade Gefellers and Kitty McCracken of ORNL’s Environmental Sciences Division will demonstrate how local bat populations are monitored and methods to identify local frog populations based on calls. Participants, limited to 25 with children allowed, will meet at the ETTP visitors overlook parking lot at 7 p.m. [Read more…]

Roane State library in Oak Ridge hosts book sale March 31, April 1

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The Coffey Library at Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus will host its annual “Love Your Library” book sale March 31 and April 1 from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. each day.

The sale will include paperbacks, textbooks, cookbooks, computer software books, children’s books, craft books, and more. Only cash and checks will be accepted. Checks need to be payable to the Roane State Foundation. Prices range from $1-3.

The campus is located at 701 Briarcliff Ave. For more information, contact Christi Moss at (865) 354-3000, ext. 4739, or mosscl@roanestate.edu.

Small business seminars this week

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There are two more small business seminars in Oak Ridge this month, and both are scheduled for this week.

The first is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, March 26, at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. It’s free.

The seminar is titled “Inside the DCAA Audit—What are they looking for?” The speaker is Laura Davis, president of Strategic Consulting Solutions. [Read more…]

Habitat for Humanity to dedicate home in honor of Myricks on March 28

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Tim and Teresa Myrick Home Build

Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County has built a new home on Valley View Lane in Heiskell in honor of longtime volunteers Tim and Teresa Myrick, pictured at right. A family of five will live in the four-bedroom, 1,200-square-foot home. From left, they are Alexia, Amanda Cook, Edward Brown (back), Eddie (front), and Ethan.

 

Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County: The House That Love Built is complete!

Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County will host a dedication of the house built in Heiskell in honor of Tim and Teresa Myrick on Saturday, March 28. The dedication service will start at 10:15 a.m. will be held at South Clinton Baptist Church at 1000 Clinch Avenue in Clinton.

The church faces Clinton Highway and is located near East Wolf Valley Road. The house is located about six miles from the church at 119 Valley View Lane and will be open for touring from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

“The Honorary Committee, Board of Directors, and staff of HFHAC invite the public to join us in this very special celebration,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Group visit, tour of Alex Haley Farm on April 6

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The Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge has scheduled a group visit to the Alex Haley Farm in Clinton on April 6, and participants will enjoy a presentation and a lunch on site. Those who wish may stay for a 90-minute walking tour (for a $5 fee) of the expansive grounds.

Purchased in 1994 by the Children’s Defense Fund, the 157-acre Haley Farm is a countryside retreat consisting of guest cottages, chapel, meeting lodge, and library. The facility connects young leaders and activists with the heritage of the struggle for freedom, and it is where policy makers and community builders come to connect, recharge their spiritual and physical batteries, and brainstorm strategies.  The Children’s Defense Fund and its many programs have transformed Haley Farm into a training ground for the next generation of leadership, advocacy, and service for children and families.

Haley Farm houses several programs for the CDF, including Freedom Schools. The Freedom Schools are “inspired by the civil rights movement’s Freedom Summer of 1964, when community leaders organized Black Americans to register to vote,” a press release said. The program has trained more than 6,000 high school and college-age leaders who serve first and then lead in order to increase service to institutions and individuals. These young leaders, in turn, teach “children ages 5 to 18 for six to eight weeks, integrating reading, conflict resolution, and social action in activity-based curricula.” [Read more…]

Franchise EXPO 2015: Educational, interactive expo comes to Knoxville

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Submitted

Have you ever thought about owning your own business? A group of Knoxville organizations led by Jerry Bird, who heads FranNet of Alabama and East Tennessee, are offering a one-day event for those wanting the freedom and control of owning their own business. More than 20 different franchise companies looking to expand into Knoxville and the surrounding areas, as well as business experts who can assist in buying and growing a business, will be in Knoxville for one day.

The Knoxville Franchise EXPO 2015 will be held at the Rothchild Catering and Conference Center at 8807 Kingston Pike in Knoxville from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, April 9. While the majority of the EXPO is available for you to wander and visit as you like, there will also be workshops offered as specific times including franchise funding, networking, and how to go about finding the right franchise fit. [Read more…]

St. Mary’s opens new soccer field with first-ever home match

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St. Mary's School

St. Mary’s School of Oak Ridge is officially opening its soccer field today (Tuesday, March 24).

The opening ceremony starts at 5:15 p.m. today with a blessing of the field and ribbon-cutting ceremony. After the ceremony, at 5:30 p.m., St. Mary’s Varsity Coed Soccer team will play the Paideia Academy in its first-ever home soccer match. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools’ 2020 Planning Committee meets Friday

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Oak Ridge Schools Logo

The Oak Ridge Schools’ 2020 Planning Committee will meet again on Friday, March 27, at 9 a.m. at the School Administration Building.

Oak Ridge Schools is committed to providing its students many opportunities and experiences through which to become aware of, explore, and plan for college and career, a press release said. In order to define its focus over the next five years, school officials and others are creating a five-year plan to be delivered to the Oak Ridge Board of Education for consideration.

Representatives from the business and industry community, parents, students, school staff, and board members have been selected to have an opportunity to provide input and serve on this committee, the press release said. [Read more…]

Anderson Chamber hosts business planning seminar on April 7

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Anderson County Chamber of Commerce

The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Tennessee Small Business Development Center will host a free workshop for potential and existing small business owners and entrepreneurs who want a better understanding of the business planning process.

The TSBDC advises and assists entrepreneurs and small business owners in our area at no cost to them.

This free seminar will be held on Tuesday, April 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce office at 245 North Main Street, Suite 200, in Clinton. It will feature Jutta Bangs, director of the TSBDC center at Roane State Community College. [Read more…]

ORUUC has free community meal on Friday, March 27

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The Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church has a free community meal on Friday, March 27. Everyone is invited, a press release said.

The Stone Soup Ministry team will be serving a homemade meal of chili, corn muffins, cookies, and fruit. Dine-in or take-out will be available in the ORUUC Social Hall from 5 to 6 p.m. The church is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]