Oak Ridge Today

Site plan submitted for Main Street Oak Ridge

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Main Street Oak Ridge James Downs

James Downs, Crosland Southeast partner, gave an update on the Main Street Oak Ridge project, the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall, during a March work session. (File photo)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9 a.m. July 2.

A site plan was submitted on Monday for Main Street Oak Ridge, an official said. Main Street Oak Ridge is the eagerly anticipated $80 million project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall.

The site plan is under review by the Oak Ridge city staff and could be discussed during an Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission work session on July 9 and during a regular meeting on July 16.

A site plan is an engineered construction drawing that includes the layout of buildings and parking, utility plans, traffic and pedestrian circulation, and stormwater management, said Kathryn Baldwin, Oak Ridge Community Development director. There would still be building plans for the construction of each building at the 60-acre site. [Read more…]

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DOE names IIa as woman-owned small business of year

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Bonnie C. Carroll, IIa founder and CEO, center, receives the DOE Woman-owned Small Business Award for Fiscal Year 2014 from John Hale III, director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization for DOE. (Photo courtesy IIa)

Bonnie C. Carroll, IIa founder and CEO, center, receives the DOE Woman-owned Small Business Award for Fiscal Year 2014 from John Hale III, director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization for DOE. (Photo courtesy IIa)

 

The U.S. Department of Energy has named Information International Associates, or IIa, its Woman-owned Small Business for Fiscal Year 2014.

Bonnie C. Carroll, IIa founder and chief executive officer, accepted the award at the 14th Annual DOE Small Business Forum and Expo in Phoenix, Arizona, on June 17, 2015, from John Hale III, director of the DOE Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization.

Each year, DOE recognizes the exceptional performance of a woman-owned small business directly contributing to the accomplishments of core DOE mission objectives and requirements, a press release said. In presenting the award, Hale cited IIa’s innovation and technical solutions, which exceeded contract requirements in responding to cyber security concerns, as well as its exceptional customer service and efficiency, the release said.

DOE, the largest civilian contracting agency within the federal government, awarded a total of $6.6 billion in contracts in FY 2014 to prime and subcontracts. [Read more…]

Ribbon-cuttings: Curves, Minuteman Press

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Minuteman Press Ribbon-cutting with Oak Ridge Chamber

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting for Minuteman Press on Friday, June 26. Minuteman Press is located at 110 Bus Terminal Road. (Photo by Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce)

 

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce had ribbon-cutting ceremonies last week for Minuteman Press and Curves of Oak Ridge. The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce joined the celebration at Minuteman Press on Friday, June 26.

Minuteman Press is located at 110 Bus Terminal Road, where American Reprographics used to be. David Fleming is the franchise owner in Oak Ridge. For more information, visit www.minutemanpress.com. [Read more…]

Appeals court rules in favor of Covenant Health, other defendants in excessive radiation lawsuit

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Methodist Medical Center Main Entrance

A three-judge appeals court panel has ruled in favor of Covenant Health and two other defendants in five lawsuits that alleged that the absence of shielding in part of the emergency department at Methodist Medical Center exposed five X-ray and radiologic technologists, including two who were pregnant, to excessive radiation.

The unanimous opinions by the three Tennessee Court of Appeals judges—D. Michael Swiney, John W. McClarty, and Thomas R. Frierson II—were filed June 9 in Knoxville. They affirmed an order by Anderson County Circuit Court Judge Donald R. Elledge granting a summary judgement in favor of the defendants: Covenant Health, Rentenbach Engineering Company, and TEG Architects LLC.

The lawsuits were filed in January 2014 by Connie Raby, Keith Gillis, Michael Phillips, Mary Ridenour on behalf of her and her child, and Micah Noelle Lewellen on behalf of her and her child.

The lawsuits alleged that the technologists were exposed to excess radiation for several years at Methodist Medical Center because some walls in and around a radiology imaging center in the new emergency department, which opened in February 2006 as part of a hospital remodel, were built without the required lead shielding, elevating the workers’ risk of health problems, including cancer. [Read more…]

RSI awards eight scholarships to local students

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RSI Scholarships 2015

Scholarship recipients and RSI managers pictured left to right are Staci Ferguson, RSI vice president; Abby Colvais; Peter Caswell, RSI vice president; Sierra Sims; Lonnie Goss; Dmitry Petrov; Morgan Cleveland; Jackson Lloyd; and Paul Clay, RSI President. Not pictured are Christian Ironside and Tyler Moore. (Submitted photo)

 

Restoration Services Inc. and its voluntary Employee Outreach Committee have offered eight $1,000 college scholarships to “help students achieve their greatest potential through higher education,” a press release said.

Six scholarships were awarded to graduating high school students who will be attending college in the upcoming fall 2015 semester. The remaining two scholarships were awarded to children of RSI employees who are upcoming sophomores, juniors, or seniors currently enrolled in an accredited college for the 2015 fall semester. Scholarship recipients were selected from submitted applications that included academic accomplishments, community involvement and leadership roles, and an essay on current environmental threats.

The scholarship recipients entering college are: [Read more…]

ORNL invites companies to connect with lab at ‘Explore ORNL’ 

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory will open its doors July 14-15 for its “Explore ORNL” conference designed to introduce the region’s business community to the lab’s world-class research and development facilities and expertise, a press release said.

“Explore ORNL is an outreach event that provides companies both large and small with a unique opportunity to learn about collaboration possibilities,” said Tom Rogers, ORNL’s director of Industrial Partnerships and Economic Development.

Representatives from companies such as Boeing, Cummins, Local Motors, Ten-Tec, Dresser-Rand, and Eagle Bend Manufacturing will speak about their experiences in working with ORNL experts to overcome technical challenges and develop new products. [Read more…]

Photos: Lavender Festival on Saturday

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Lavender Festival in Oak Ridge 2015

The Lavender Festival celebrates “all things herbal” in Jackson Square from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 20, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

The Lavender Festival celebrates “all things herbal” in Jackson Square until 3 p.m. today (Saturday, June 20).

It’s the 17th annual festival, and there is no cost to attend. Here are photos by Julio Culiat.

The Lavender Festival focuses on herbs, health, gardening, and cooking, and it features more than 100 vendors, a dozen herb and health presentations, children’s activities, and many musicians. Vendors line the covered walkways of Jackson Square, the parking lot, and both sides of Broadway Avenue, which is closed to traffic.

See this previous story for more information.

[Read more…]

Physicians Forum: Overview of Tennessee Workers’ Compensation—2015

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Robert Snyder

Robert Snyder

A June 30 forum will focus on workers compensation reforms in Tennessee.

During the forum, Dr. Robert B. Snyder, medical director for the Division of Workers’ Compensation and Jeff Francis, assistant administrator in the Workers’ Compensation Division, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, will present a seminar titled “Overview of Tennessee Workers’ Compensation—2015.”

It’s been organized by the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce and scheduled for Tuesday, June 30, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Goff Medical Sciences Building, Goff 104, at Roane State Community College at 701 Briarcliff Avenue in Oak Ridge. The forum is sponsored by Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Firefighters, business owner to lead fire safety seminar for businesses

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Josh Waldo

Josh Waldo

A business owner and firefighters from Oak Ridge and Clinton will lead a fire safety seminar for businesses in Clinton on Tuesday.

The seminar is titled “Fire Safety and Prevention in Your Workplace and Business.” It will be led by Chip Dooley, owner of Life Safety Inspections in Oak Ridge; Josh Waldo, deputy fire chief for the Oak Ridge Fire Department; and Daniel Adams, firefighter for the Clinton Fire Department.

The seminar is scheduled from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 23, at the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce in Clinton. It’s part of the Chamber’s summer business safety series, and it’s sponsored by Life Safety Inspections.

“The best way to practice fire safety is to make sure one doesn’t break out in the first place,” a press release said. “This means being aware of potential hazards in your business.” [Read more…]

Experts launch advanced composites institute announced by Obama, led by UT

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Craig Blue, David Danielson, and David Millhorn

Pictured above are Craig Blue, IACMI CEO; David Danielson assistant secretary, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy; and David Millhorn, executive vice president for the University of Tennessee System and president of the UT Research Foundation. (Photo courtesy UT)

 

ORNL a founding partner

Hundreds of composites experts from industry, government, and academia gathered at the Knoxville Convention Center on Wednesday for the launch of the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, or IACMI.

The University of Tennessee in Knoxville and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are among IACMI’s founding research partners.

A signing ceremony between the U.S. Department of Energy and IACMI representatives marked the official start of business for the newly established institute, which was announced in January by President Barack Obama.

IACMI will work with industry to reduce technical risk and develop a robust supply chain for advanced composite materials in automotive components, wind turbines, and compressed gas storage applications. Funded with $70 million in federal funds and more than $180 million in nonfederal funds, IACMI will focus on making advanced fiber-reinforced polymer composites less expensive and less energy-intensive, helping give America’s resurging manufacturing sector a more competitive edge in the global economy. [Read more…]

ORAU’s Timmerman receives DOE Small Business Award

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Heidi Timmerman and John Hale III Small Business Award

Heidi Timmerman, director of Procurement and Contracts Administration at ORAU, left, receives the Facility Management Contractor Procurement Director of the Year award for fiscal year 2014 from John Hale III, director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization for DOE. (Submitted photo)

 

The U.S. Department of Energy presented ORAU’s Heidi Timmerman with its Facility Management Contractor Procurement Director of the Year award for fiscal year 2014 at the 14th Annual DOE Small Business Forum and Expo in Phoenix on Wednesday.

The award recognizes ORAU’s subcontracting achievements with small business suppliers used to support work performed under the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education contract that ORAU (Oak Ridge Associated Universities) manages for DOE.

In FY14, ORAU committed to awarding 71 percent of its subcontracts in support of ORISE work to small businesses, and it exceeded that goal when more than 78 percent of subcontracts were awarded to small businesses, a press release said. [Read more…]