The Tennessee Small Business Development Center has four small business seminars in Oak Ridge on Tuesday and Friday.
A Tuesday morning seminar from 9 a.m. to noon will focus on “how to do business with the government.”
A Tuesday afternoon seminar from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. will focus on the Small Business Administration’s 8a business development program. [Read more…]
The Anderson County Operations Committee will consider the tax financing plan for the $85 million redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall during a Monday evening meeting.
The Anderson County Operations Committee will consider the tax financing plan for the $85 million redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall during a Monday evening meeting.
The tax financing agreement could be worth $13 million and last 20 years. It would allow new property tax revenues generated at the site to be used to help pay for development costs.
The tax increment financing, or TIF, proposal has already been unanimously endorsed by the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board.
It will be considered by the Operations Committee in a meeting that starts at 6 p.m. today in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton. It will also be considered at 4 p.m. Thursday by the Anderson County Budget Committee; at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 11, by the Oak Ridge City Council; and at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18, by the Anderson County Commission. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
More than 400 people attended Friday night’s bean and cornbread social and informational meeting on a proposal to change the name of Lake City to Rocky Top as the first step toward the creation of a massive Rocky Top theme park.
The event was held at Main Street Baptist Church and featured a presentation from the developers of the proposed tourist destination as well as from Anderson County Property Assessor Johnny Alley, who told the crowd that property taxes would not only not go up because of the project, but if all goes as planned, residents could actually see their property taxes decline as new revenue comes in. Lake City Mayor Tim Sharp told residents that the only cost to the town will be changing the name.
The park, as proposed, would be built on land owned by the city on Highway 441 between I-75 and Highway 25. The first phase of the development would be called the Rocky Top Pavilion and would feature a theater designed to attract musical acts like those found in Branson, Mo.; an indoor-outdoor water park; and a large restaurant. Developers also envision a sports hall of fame and museum. [Read more…]
The Weigel’s on South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge is now open.
A Weigel’s gas station and store is now open on South Illinois Avenue, and a nearby Aldi grocery has a grand opening celebration on Thursday.
The Weigel’s is on 1.5 acres south of TNBank, and the 4,000-square-foot store includes 16 gas pumps.
Construction started this spring. It’s now the second Weigel’s store in Oak Ridge and the only gas station on South Illinois Avenue between Tulsa Road in central Oak Ridge and Solway in Knox County.
Weigel’s Farm Stores Inc. is a chain headquartered in Powell that operates 57 local dairy and convenience stores. [Read more…]
Downtown Hardware is having a 58th anniversary celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today (Saturday).
The celebration will include a Holland Grill demo, samples, and door prizes. Register to win a Holland Companion grill.
Downtown Hardware is located at 298 S. Illinois Ave. in Oak Ridge. It’s open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Call (865) 483-4339 for more information.
Anyone interested in learning more about the proposal to change Lake City’s name to Rocky Top can attend an informational meeting and beans and corn bread social on Friday evening in Lake City.
The developers and partners of Rocky Top will be available to answer all questions concerning the project, locations, jobs, and the general impact on the community, said Stephanie Wells, executive director of the Anderson County Tourism Council.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. Friday at Main Street Baptist Church, located at the corner of Fourth and Main Street in Lake City. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
Anderson County Law Director Jay Yeager has offered an update on the status of the Johnson Gap Road Bridge, owned by CSX Railroad and closed since earlier this year due to structural concerns found by the state during a routine investigation.
The bridge is owned by the railroad, and it is the only entity that can legally make the repairs and get the bridge back open. Many people in that area, which is northwest of Clinton, depend on that bridge to get to and from their homes.
The latest update, according to Yeager, is that the bridge replacement or repair is under analysis by CSX’s property asset division. No decisions have been made. Yeager says that he has spoken to railroad officials three times by telephone and in several emails. [Read more…]
Lois Engel
A nurse for more than four decades, Lois Engel still works with seniors, but now she gets to spend more time with them.
She and her husband Ed own a Seniors Helping Seniors franchise in Clinton. They and their care providers help seniors with services ranging from light housekeeping and cooking to gardening and transportation. They can help elderly residents stay in their homes five to eight years longer than they might otherwise.
“It’s a gift to us to be able to assist other people,” Lois Engel said. [Read more…]
Clinton’s traditional Christmas Parade of bands, floats, and many other processional entries will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, a press release said.
This year’s theme is “A Christmas To Remember.” Businesses, churches, schools, and other marching groups are encouraged to register and participate in the parade, the release said. The parade entry fee of $10 is payable to the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce. The deadline to register is 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4. There will be no late entries. [Read more…]
David Neusel, the owner and operator of Big Ed’s Pizza in Jackson Square, died Thursday. The front of the landmark restaurant is pictured above.
Melissa Neusel, the wife of Big Ed’s Pizza owner David Neusel, released a statement Saturday on his death, funeral plans, and the future of the restaurant.
She said her husband, who was 60, died at 1:30 p.m. Thursday of heart and kidney failure at St. Thomas West Hospital in Nashville. That was caused by a virus that had settled in and weakened his heart about two years ago, Melissa Neusel said.
She said Big Ed’s Pizza will remain open and continue operating normally, other than on funeral day(s). [Read more…]
A sign posted on the door of the former Gatti’s Pizza next to the Oak Ridge Mall says the business has been sold.
A longtime pizza restaurant and a newer “farm-to-table” diner have closed in Oak Ridge.
A sign posted on the front door of the former Gatti’s Pizza earlier this month said the business has been sold.
Meanwhile, the owners of The Market House at Jackson Square posted on their Facebook page on Oct. 14 that they will no longer be open but will continue to fulfill any private party obligations.
Oak Ridge Today has not been able to reach the owners of either business to elaborate. [Read more…]
David Neusel, the owner and operator of Big Ed’s Pizza in Jackson Square, died Thursday. The front of the landmark restaurant is pictured above.
David Neusel, the owner and operator of Big Ed’s Pizza in Oak Ridge, died Thursday in Nashville, longtime friend Randy Tedford said.
The cause of Neusel’s death and his age weren’t immediately available. It also wasn’t immediately clear who would now own and operate the landmark restaurant in the city’s historic Jackson Square area. (Note: More information on Neusel’s death, funeral, and the future of the restaurant is available in this newer story here.)
But Big Ed’s, which was recognized as one of America’s 51 great pizza parlors in 2010, is still open, server Kim Paluso said Friday morning. As far as she knows, the popular pizzeria will continue operating as usual.
“It was pretty hard for everybody,” Paluso said of Neusel’s death. “A lot of people showed up last night for support.” [Read more…]
