Oak Ridge Today

MCLinc sponsors ADFAC, Bow Tie Event

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Pictured above from left, ADFAC representatives Annie Cacheiro and Louise Mixon accept a corporate contribution from McLinc representatives Barry Stephenson and Michele Sanders. (Submitted photo)

Pictured above from left, ADFAC representatives Annie Cacheiro and Louise Mixon accept a corporate contribution from McLinc representatives Barry Stephenson and Michele Sanders. (Submitted photo)

 

Materials and Chemistry Laboratory Inc., or MCLinc, is a sponsor for ADFAC’s 2017 Corporate Membership Campaign, and the company is also a sponsor for this year’s Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Event, which will be held Saturday, November 11, a press release said.

MCLinc’s President and Chief Executive Officer Barry Stephenson and Laboratory Manager Michele Sanders met recently with ADFAC representatives to celebrate their corporate support for the local agency.

MCLinc is a commercial applied research company providing high-quality consulting and analytical testing for industrial forensics, materials characterization, environmental chemistry, and process optimization, the press release said.

“As MCLinc is an employee-owned company, all corporate charitable gifts are generously supported by the employees,” Stephenson said. “I am so pleased that our company and our employees are able and excited about supporting such a worthy cause as ADFAC. We are very much looking forward to the Bow Tie Award Event this year as we all celebrate local volunteer Tom Row.”

See previous story on the Bow Tie Award Event here. [Read more…]

Triwizard Tournament in Jackson Square today

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Jackson Square Triwizard Tournament Oct 2017

The Triwizard Tournament is in Jackson Square from 3-6 p.m. today (Saturday, November 11).

The Triwizard Tournament includes games, buttered beer, food, shops, a silent auction, owls exam, and trivia at 5 p.m. followed by 110 in the Shade playing at Razzlebery’s Lab at 7 p.m., organizers said.

“Join us for an afternoon full of family fun!” organizers said.

See the Jackson Square Oak Ridge page on Facebook for more information.

The Triwizard Tournament was rescheduled from October 28 due to rain.

RealtyLink working with possible grocery store on former AMSE property

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A rezoning map for an Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission meeting on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017, shows that a grocery or large retail store could be built on the 7.4 acres south of American Museum of Science and Energy. The map also shows three smaller retailers or restaurants are possible. AMSE is to the north of the proposed grocery or large retail building.

A rezoning map for an Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission meeting on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017, shows that a grocery or large retail store could be built on the 7.4 acres south of American Museum of Science and Energy. The map also shows three smaller retailers or restaurants are possible. AMSE is to the north of the proposed grocery or large retail building.

 

RealtyLink, the company developing Main Street Oak Ridge in the center of the city, is working with a grocery store that could build on property south of the American Museum of Science and Energy, an executive said Tuesday.

But Neil Wilson of RealtyLink declined to name the grocery store. He was asked to identify it during a Tuesday morning Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce event at TNBank.

“I’ll save that for my next visit,” Wilson responded with a smile.

The store hasn’t signed a lease yet, Wilson said.

RealtyLink could know more about the project in March, he said. [Read more…]

Construction could start next week on Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

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A Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers could open in Oak Ridge next year at the intersection of South Illinois Avenue and South Tulane Avenue, the company said Thursday, May 25, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers could open in Oak Ridge next year at the intersection of South Illinois Avenue and South Tulane Avenue, the company said Thursday, May 25, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Construction could start next week on a building that will include Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, a development executive said Tuesday.

Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers will be located on a corner lot at South Illinois Avenue and South Tulane Avenue, between Taco Bell and Golden Oak Buffet.

The restaurant has signed a lease in a building that will be about 9,000 square feet, said Neil Wilson of RealtyLink, the company redeveloping the former 58-acre Oak Ridge Mall as Main Street Oak Ridge.

The company has previously said it could open in Oak Ridge next year. [Read more…]

Hospital workers to picket Tuesday as contract negotiations continue

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Members of Service Employees International Union Local 205 rallied in front of Methodist Medical Center during a heavy rain on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, to protest the state of negotiations on a new three-year contract. The rally included about 150 people, and the crowd stretched over a block. (Photo submitted by SEIU)

Members of Service Employees International Union Local 205 rallied in front of Methodist Medical Center during a heavy rain on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, to protest the state of negotiations on a new three-year contract. The rally included about 150 people, and the crowd stretched over a block. (Photo submitted by SEIU)

 

Hospital workers at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge will have an informational picket on Tuesday as contract negotiations continue.

The picket, meant to educate staff and the community, is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 7, at Methodist Medical Center, which is at 990 Oak Ridge Oak Ridge Turnpike, a press release said.

Nurses and support staff, along with their allies in the community, will attend, the press release said.

Service Employees International Union Local 205 represents more than 800 registered nurses and service and technical employees at MMC, a Covenant Health facility in Oak Ridge. In a Monday press release, the SEIU said the hospital workers have been working under a three-year contract that is set to expire on November 15.

“Last week, union members voted overwhelmingly to authorize their bargaining committee to issue the hospital a notice of intent to strike if an agreement cannot be reached,” the press release said. “Issues which are in dispute are maintaining safe staffing levels and reasonable working hours, Methodist’s plan to slash wages for new employees, and affordable health insurance on par with other Covenant facilities.” [Read more…]

Leadership Oak Ridge to dedicate garden in memory of Caldwell on Wednesday

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Submitted

The 2017 Class of Leadership Oak Ridge is nearing completion of a project that seeks to honor a beloved member of the community for his tireless efforts to improve the lives of those around him, both personally and professionally. A dedication ceremony for the Dr. Gene Caldwell Memorial Garden has been set for 9 a.m. on Wednesday, November 8, at Emory Valley Center.

The group chose to build a raised-bed garden at Emory Valley Center for their class project and dedicate the garden in memory of Caldwell, a local pediatrician and citizen of Oak Ridge who helped raise the funds for Emory Valley Center’s new location. The group agreed that this would be a wonderful way to honor Caldwell’s legacy. He passed away in March of this year, just before the new center was set to open.

Since early spring, the Leadership class has worked to develop and execute a plan for the garden. They used fundraising for the project as well as donations of materials and labor to make their vision a reality. Navy Junior ROTC cadets from Oak Ridge High School assisted with the build, which was finished earlier this month. The Leadership class is now working on the finishing touches. [Read more…]

Seminars of interest to government contractors

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Here are some upcoming events of interest to government contractors.

  • Thursday, December 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
    Cyber Security Awareness Training for government contractors
    Location: Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce
    Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/university-of-tennessee-ptac-cyber-security-east-tn-tickets-38584137193

    • This class will teach government contractors:
      – How to minimize the risk of a company’s inside threats.
      – About controlling unclassified information and determining which information to pass on to subcontractors.
      – To have a better understanding of cyber security oversight responsibilities in becoming compliant with NIST 800-171 and DFARS 252.207.7012-required by December 31, 2017.

[Read more…]

Rezoning map shows possible grocery, retail stores south of AMSE

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A rezoning map for an Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission meeting on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017, shows that a grocery or large retail store could be built on the 7.4 acres south of American Museum of Science and Energy. The map also shows three smaller retailers or restaurants are possible. AMSE is to the north of the proposed grocery or large retail building.

A rezoning map for an Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission meeting on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017, shows that a grocery or large retail store could be built on the 7.4 acres south of American Museum of Science and Energy. The map also shows three smaller retailers or restaurants are possible. AMSE is to the north of the proposed grocery or large retail building.

 

A rezoning map shows a grocery or large retail store could be built on the property south of American Museum of Science and Energy.

The rezoning map shows the grocery or retailer could be 55,000 square feet, set back from South Illinois Avenue and next to Badger Avenue. But no prospective tenant has been publicly announced yet.

Also shown on the rezoning map, which was filed for an Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission meeting in October, are three smaller possible retail or restaurant buildings of about 4,000 to 7,000 square feet.

The rezoning was requested by TN Oak Ridge Illinois LLC for the 7.4 acres south of AMSE along South Illinois Avenue between South Tulane Avenue and Badger Avenue. That property was once part of the AMSE property and owned by the U.S. Department of Energy, but it has since been transferred to the City of Oak Ridge and then to TN Oak Ridge Illinois LLC.

The rezoning was approved, with a few contingencies, by the Planning Commission on October 19, and it’s been referred to the Oak Ridge City Council, presumably for the Monday, November 13 meeting. [Read more…]

Clinton Christmas Parade is Saturday, Dec. 9

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Ridgedale Baptist Church in Clinton Christmas Parade

Ridgedale Baptist Church placed second in the Christmas Parade in Clinton with a float featuring a large ark on Dec. 1, 2012. (File photo)

 

Clinton’s traditional Christmas Parade of bands, floats, and many other processional entries will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 9. This year’s theme is “Christmas From the Heart.”

Businesses, churches, schools, and other marching groups are encouraged to register and participate in the parade, a press release said. There is no parade entry fee. The deadline to register is Monday, December 4, at 4:30 p.m. There will be no late entries, the press release said.

Entry forms must be picked up at the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce office at 245 North Main Street, Suite 200, in Clinton, or you can call the Chamber at (865) 457-2559 to have a form emailed to you. No registrations will be accepted by fax this year, the press release said. [Read more…]

Triwizard Tournament is in Jackson Square on Saturday

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Jackson Square Triwizard Tournament Oct 2017

 

Calling all Muggles and Wizards! On Saturday, October 28, from 5-9 p.m., the Jackson Square Association will be hosting its Harry Potter Triwizard Tournament.

Students of Hogwarts will be able to test their skills at the games, complete their OWL exams, observe a Quidditch demonstration by Nox Quidditch team, drink buttered beer, and shop the many stores and booths at Hogsmeade.

Professor Pott’s will be hosting a pumpkin carving contest with Harry Potter theme. Judging will begin at 8:30. Prizes will be awarded for best pumpkin.

Albus Dumbledore will be hosting a trivia tournament at 6 for interested parties. Teams of four are encouraged to register by texting Linda Johnston at (865) 335-5614 or sign up day of event. Prizes will be awarded to best dressed team and winners! Cost is $20 per team, and snacks and drinks will be provided to participants. [Read more…]

Once like a small city, Happy Valley has been sold

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An early aerial photo of Happy Valley, a construction camp that was like a small city and used to help build the former K-25 in west Oak Ridge. This picture was taken May, 22, 1944, by Ed Westcott, the official government photographer in Oak Ridge during World War II. (Photo courtesy Ed Westcott/Emily Hunnicutt)

An early aerial photo of Happy Valley, a construction camp that was like a small city and used to help build the former K-25 site in west Oak Ridge. This picture was taken May, 22, 1944, by Ed Westcott, the official government photographer in Oak Ridge during World War II. (Photo courtesy Ed Westcott/Emily Hunnicutt)

 

It was once home to a large construction camp that was like a small city and housed workers building K-25 during World War II.

Now the 160-acre parcel known as Happy Valley has been sold.

Happy Valley was in west Oak Ridge, across State Route 58 from the K-25 site. One of three major sites in Oak Ridge, K-25 was built to enrich uranium for atomic weapons as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II.

Today, Happy Valley appears to be mostly a rolling tree-covered landscape between Oak Ridge and Kingston along SR 58. To the public, there is little or no obvious evidence of what was once there—homes, a grocery store, schools, a post office, recreation halls, a gas station, and a bowling alley.

But those who have walked the property have seen evidence of the small city that was once there. [Read more…]

Out of service for decades, barge area at ETTP used again

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UniTech equipment transported from Michigan is unloaded at the barge access area at the East Tennessee Technology Park in west Oak Ridge in 2017. (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management)

UniTech equipment transported from Michigan is unloaded at the barge access area at the East Tennessee Technology Park in west Oak Ridge in 2017. (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management)

 

This story, which has been lightly edited here, was originally published in the EM Update on October 17 by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management.

Reindustrialization efforts at the East Tennessee Technology Park have brought new life to an old barge access area out of service for decades.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management is cleaning and converting the former uranium enrichment complex into a private sector industrial park, and companies are seeing significant signs of progress and potential.

In September, UniTech Services Group, a private business at ETTP, the former K-25 site, needed to transport large industrial equipment from Michigan and noted the site’s neglected barge area. The company worked with DOE and the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee to use this area, and successfully shipped the equipment to ETTP using the Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee navigable river systems. [Read more…]