Oak Ridge Today

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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DosBros Fresh Mexican Grill opening in Oak Ridge

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DosBros Fresh Mexican Grill is opening a restaurant in a shopping center on South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge. The shopping center is pictured above on Thursday, May 22, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

DosBros Fresh Mexican Grill is opening a restaurant in Oak Ridge.

The restaurant could open in August, the company said in a response to a customer question on its Facebook page.

It appears that the restaurant will be located where the former Chipotle Mexican Grill was on South Illinois Avenue, according to a photo posted by DosBros Fresh Mexican Grill. That is in a shopping center next to Great Clips, Fast Pace Urgent Medical Care, Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries, and Aspen Dental.

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Planet Fitness building gym in Oak Ridge

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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)

Note: We have posted a second story here with more information about the new gym, which is tentatively scheduled to open July 30.

Planet Fitness is building a gym in Oak Ridge.

The new gym will be in part of the former Kmart store on South Illinois Avenue.

The new gym has been announced on the company’s website, which says the Oak Ridge fitness club is coming soon.

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DOE awards new contract to support environmental cleanup in Oak Ridge

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Five contracts worth up to $24.9 million total have been awarded to small businesses to help support the cleanup of federal sites in Oak Ridge.

The awardees include one company based in Oak Ridge and two based in Knoxville.

The awards were announced last week by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management as part of its Characterization, Deactivation/Demolition, and Remediation Services contract.

The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, or OREM, said it will use the awards to advance cleanup progress across the Oak Ridge Reservation by issuing task orders to conduct characterization, demolish lower hazard buildings, dispose waste, and provide technical support.

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Council approves revised Main Street plan

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The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday, May 13, 2019, will consider the revised plan for Main Street Oak Ridge, the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall.

Note: This story was updated at 11:20 a.m. May 14.

After rejecting an earlier version, the Oak Ridge City Council voted 6-1 on Monday to approve the latest version of the revised plan for Main Street Oak Ridge, the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall.

The vote during a regular meeting in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom on Monday was the first of two readings, or votes. The second vote could take place during a special meeting on Tuesday, May 21.

The approval on Monday 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.

The revised plan is being considered as RealtyLink prepares to welcome a second wave of tenants to the site, which is in central Oak Ridge. It would be the second phase of the project, and it could include 90,000 square feet of new retail buildings, an open space near the Belk store, and new sidewalks and crosswalks. It could also include a bus drop-off area near the relocated American Museum of Science and Energy.

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Council to consider revised Main Street plan

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The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday, May 13, 2019, 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 on Monday will consider the revised plan for Main Street Oak Ridge, the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall.

An earlier version of the revised plan was rejected by Council in a 3-4 vote in January. But since then, a new revised plan has been submitted to the city. 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.

The revised plan is being considered as RealtyLink, the South Carolina developer, prepares to welcome a second wave of tenants to the site, which is in central Oak Ridge. It would be the second phase of the project, and it could include 90,000 square feet of new retail buildings, an open space near the Belk store, and new sidewalks and crosswalks. It could also include a bus drop-off area near the relocated American Museum of Science and Energy.

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Explore Oak Ridge plans citywide scavenger hunt on Saturday

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Explore Oak Ridge ​has planned a citywide scavenger hunt on Saturday, May 11.

The scavenger hunt is scheduled from 12-2 p.m. Saturday, a press release said.

“We encourage all to participate,” it said.

The scavenger hunt will take participants to eight different locations within Oak Ridge, with a prize at each site and an opportunity to win a grand prize valued at $500. All clues for the hunt will be issued via Instagram and Facebook, the press release said.

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Perry, Lee among featured speakers at Advanced Manufacturing Summit next week

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Rick Perry

U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee will be among the featured speakers at a manufacturing summit in Oak Ridge next week.

The InnovationXLab Advanced Manufacturing Summit will be at Oak Ridge National Laboratory on Tuesday, May 7, and Wednesday, May 8. There will be optional laboratory tours and an optional reception on Monday, May 6.

Perry will give a keynote speech on Tuesday morning. ORNL is a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory.

Besides Perry and Lee, other featured speakers will be Jeff Lyash, president and chief executive officer of the Tennessee Valley Authority; Deborah Wince-Smith, president and CEO of the U.S. Council on Competitiveness; Lisa Su, president and CEO of AMD; and Doug Woods, president of The Association for Manufacturing Technology.

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RealtyLink has ‘immediate opportunity’ to develop self storage facility

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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 can look like were presented to the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission by Brett Rogers, construction director for RealtyLink, the developer.

The developer of Main Street Oak Ridge on Thursday said it has an “immediate opportunity” for a climate-controlled self storage facility at the 58-acre site.

The self storage facility, which could be along Rutgers Avenue, could be three stories, with a maximum height of 35 feet. It could have about the same “footprint” as Dick’s Sporting Goods. It would have internal elevators and minimal parking, and it would be very attractive and have a minimal impact, said Brett Rogers, construction director for RealtyLink, the developer. There would be a sales office on the bottom floor. RealtyLink would self-develop the facility.

Rogers showed examples of two similar facilities in Knoxville and one each in Hardin Valley and Farragut during an Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission meeting on Thursday evening.

A market study showed high demand for this type of facility, Rogers said.

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