Oak Ridge Today





FAA conditionally approves Oak Ridge Airport

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This is an aerial image of the current layout plan for the proposed Oak Ridge Airport at the Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority)

The Federal Aviation Administration provided a conditional approval for the proposed Oak Ridge Airport in a February letter, a consultant said Thursday.

The conditions included in the February 22 letter included the completion of a benefit cost analysis and an environmental assessment for the airport property, project consultant Billy Stair said.

In response to the conditional approval, the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority’s board of directors approved a work authorization for CHA Consulting Inc. during a June 19 meeting. CHA Consulting, which has an office in Louisville, will provide professional services for “qualifications development and agency scoping” for the design, environmental assessment, and benefit cost analysis for the proposed airport.

“This puts in motion the process for undertaking the BCA (benefit cost analysis) and EA (environmental assessment),” Stair said.

[Read more…]

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Secret City Weather has new website

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Secret City Weather launched a new website on Sunday evening, which is now available at www.SecretCityWeather.com.

The new website replaces the former SecretCityWx.weebly.com, which will remain active for the foreseeable future, a press release said.

“The new website makes it easier to find local weather content for the East Tennessee area and adds to our growing portfolio of social media platforms that we use to publish local weather conditions, forecasting, and analysis,” said Brandon Bonds, owner of Secret City Weather. [Read more…]

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Small businesses, business leaders honored

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Lisa Copeland, CNS Y-12 small business program manager, presents the CNS Small Business of the Year award to Diana Tremaine and Darrin Lawrence of ARS Aleut Remediation. (Submitted photo)

Consolidated Nuclear Security, UT-Battelle, and the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce recently honored local business leaders and outstanding small businesses. The three entities annually sponsor a Celebrate Oak Ridge Business breakfast in May.

ARS International LLC was awarded the Small Business of the Year designation by Consolidated Nuclear Security. ARS is an Alaskan native corporation, small disadvantaged business, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Aleut Corporation, a press release said. ARS has provided services to the U.S. Department of Energy, Department of Defense, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and commercial industries in the form of hazardous material remediation, laboratory analysis, and construction/demolition services, a press release said.

UT-Battelle named Kelsan as its Small Business of the Year. Kelsan provides its customers with the region’s largest selection of sanitary maintenance-related products and consistently ranks as the southeast’s leading “Jan-San” distributor, the press release said. [Read more…]

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Ninth graduating class of Youth Leadership Oak Ridge

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The 2018-2019 Youth Leadership Oak Ridge Class recently celebrated with a graduation ceremony. Youth Leadership Oak Ridge is a program of the Center for Leadership and Community Development, an affiliated organization of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. (Submitted photo)

Youth Leadership Oak Ridge, a program of the Center for Leadership and Community Development, an organization affiliated with the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, recently had a graduation ceremony for its 2018/2019 class. The celebration was held at the DoubleTree by Hilton. Gene Patterson of Consolidated Nuclear Security offered the keynote speech, a press release said.

Youth Leadership Oak Ridge was started as the community project of the 2009 Leadership Oak Ridge class. Patterned after the adult program, but revised to reflect the interests of high school students, the program has just completed its ninth year, the press release said.

The class met most Wednesdays after school during the school year and covered topics related to personal skills development, entrepreneurship, government, and quality of life, the press release said. Each area of focus provided for interactive activities as well as advice and guidance from experts in those areas. [Read more…]

Lavender Festival features herbs, crafts, food, music Saturday

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2017 Lavender Festival (Image Credit: Shawn Millsaps)

Tennessee’s only Lavender Festival returns for its 21st year in Historic Jackson Square in Oak Ridge on Saturday, June 15. The festival is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“Celebrating all things herbal, crafts, local foods, and more, the Lavender Festival is free to customers, and last year attracted an estimated crowd of 11,000,” a press release said. “In addition to free admission, Lavender Festival also offers plenty of free parking in city and business lots surrounding Jackson Square.”

The festival is full of tradition and fun, and it always features something new, the press release said. For example, a traditional bagpipe player will open the festival at 8 a.m., playing from upper Blankenship Field into Jackson Square. Also keeping with tradition, Alan McBride will follow with the hammered dulcimer in the bandstand, the release said. A complete music schedule is included below.

The highlight of Lavender Festival will be the group of 150 artisan, herb, and floral vendors that will line the covered walkways of Jackson Square, the parking lot, and both sides of Broadway Avenue, which will be closed to traffic.

[Read more…]

ORNL Federal Credit Union to host free bluegrass/Americana concerts

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ORNL Federal Credit Union will continue its free concert series in Oak Ridge this summer. The concerts will feature bluegrass and American bands from throughout the region, a press release said. The musicians will include Jim Lauderdale and Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, among others.

The series kicks off in June and will continue through September, a press release said. All concerts will be held from 6-9 p.m. at Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge.

The first show will be held on Saturday, June 15, and it will feature legendary songwriter Jim Lauderdale and his band, along with East Tennessee native Steve Gulley and his band, New Pinnacle, the press release said.

“The community is invited to bring their lawn chairs and their friends and family for an evening of free Americana roots music,” the press release said. Local food truck vendors and Oak Ridge’s own Crafter’s Brew will be on site, the release said.

Future concerts will be held on the following Saturdays: 

[Read more…]

For members: Company ordered to pay $500,000 fine after improperly shipping radioactive materials

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Federal Agents at Berthold Technologies

KNOXVILLE—An Oak Ridge company has been ordered to pay a $500,000 federal fine about two years after pleading guilty to criminal charges related to the improper shipping of radioactive materials in devices used in the oil and gas “fracking” industry.

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Tennessee’s growing wine industry showcased at Nine Lakes Wine Festival in Oak Ridge

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The third annual Nine Lakes Wine Festival has been scheduled for May 31-June 1, 2019, in Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge. The festival, pictured above in 2018, celebrates Tennessee wines and ciders that are 100 percent locally made. (Photo by Keely Rountree/Courtesy Nine Lakes Wine Festival)

Festival at Melton Lake Park celebrates local wineries with 100+ Tennessee wines, ciders May 31-June 1

The third annual Nine Lakes Wine Festival is this weekend, Friday, May 31, and Saturday, June 1, at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee recently proclaimed May as Tennessee Grape and Wine Appreciation Month.

The Nine Lakes Wine Festival is open to the ticket-holding public and produced by the Appalachian Region Wine Producers Association.

On Friday, May 31, the VIP Taste of Gold will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m. featuring only the best in Tennessee wines, a press release said. This all-inclusive evening features gold medal and reserve wines, gourmet small plate foods, and live music by the David Slack Trio.

And then on Saturday, June 1, the Grand Tasting Event will be from 3 to 8 p.m. on the waterfront at Melton Lake Park. This event features 17 wineries pouring more than 100 Tennessee wines and ciders, with live music and a “Barrels of Fun Charity Race” benefitting up to 24 local charities, the press release said. The public can sign up to roll wine barrels in support of their favorite Tennessee charities for fun and competition.

[Read more…]

South’s only human-powered wine barrel race benefits charities at Tennessee wine festival

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The third annual Nine Lakes Wine Festival will be held Friday, May 31-Saturday, June 1, in Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge. It will include the South’s only human-powered wine barrel race. Girls Inc. is shown participating in the race above in 2018. (Photo courtesy Nine Lakes Wine Festival)

The third annual Nine Lakes Wine Festival will be held Friday, May 31-Saturday, June 1, in Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge. The festival will include two events celebrating Tennessee wines and ciders that are 100 percent locally made. The festival will benefit up to 24 charities in East Tennessee, and it will also include food trucks, shaded seating, live music, and the South’s only human-powered wine barrel race.

“Rollers can earn cash for their favorite East Tennessee charity, and the fastest rollers each hour win a bottle of wine!” a press release said.

The festival’s Grand Tasting is from 3 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 1. It will feature 17 wineries sampling more than 100 Tennessee wines and ciders, along with live music and the Barrels of Fun Charity Race.

Live music will be featured in the park’s pavilion throughout the day by Wild Blue Yonder, Josh Cottrell, and Carolina Story. Food vendors will be at the festival, and festival goers are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and enjoy the evening by Melton Lake, the press release said.

[Read more…]

City Council to consider revised Main Street plan on Friday

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The Oak Ridge City Council on Friday, May 24, will consider the revised plan for Main Street Oak Ridge, the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall.

The Oak Ridge City Council will consider the revised plan for Main Street Oak Ridge on second and final reading at noon today (Friday, May 24).

The meeting will be in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom at 200 South Tulane Avenue.

Council approved the revised plan in a 6-1 vote on Monday, May 13. That approval occurred four months after Council rejected an earlier version of the plan in a 3-4 vote in January. Since then, a new revised plan has been submitted to the city, and there have been additional discussions between city officials and RealtyLink, the South Carolina developer. In April, the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission recommended 7-1 that the new plan, which is similar to the earlier plan, be approved with some conditions.

Main Street Oak Ridge is the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall.

[Read more…]

Planet Fitness could open July 30

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Planet Fitness is building a gym in Oak Ridge in part of the former Kmart store on South Illinois Avenue. Construction is pictured above on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Planet Fitness gym in Oak Ridge is tentatively scheduled to open July 30, the company said Wednesday.

“The 27,000-square-foot Oak Ridge club will offer state-of-the-art cardio machines and strength equipment, 30-Minute Express Circuit, fully equipped locker rooms with day lockers and showers, and numerous flat screen televisions,” according to a response to questions provided by Josh Gerber, vice president of marketing for PF Growth Partners LLC in Timonium, Maryland. “The club will also have a signature Black Card Spa area that will feature HydroMassage beds, massage chairs, tanning beds, a Total Body Enhancement booth and more.”

The club will be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the company said. People can begin signing up online starting June 10, Planet Fitness said.

[Read more…]

Planning Commission to study zoning amendment for self storage facilities

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The developer of Main Street Oak Ridge on Thursday, April 25, 2019, said it has an “immediate opportunity” for a climate-controlled self storage facility at the 58-acre site. Examples of what these types of facilities look like were presented to the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission by Brett Rogers, construction director for RealtyLink, the developer.

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission will study a potential zoning text amendment for self storage facilities this evening (Thursday, May 23).

The text amendment is being considered after a developer, RealtyLink, proposed a climate-controlled self storage facility at Main Street Oak Ridge, the 58-acre redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall.

The self storage facility, which is not currently allowed under the type of zoning in place at the site, could be along Rutgers Avenue. It could be three stories, with a maximum height of 35 feet. It could have about the same “footprint” as Dick’s Sporting Goods.

[Read more…]

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