Mark Watson
During a Tuesday afternoon speech, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson will discuss economic challenges, the proposed Kroger shopping center at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue, and the redevelopment of Jackson Square.
Watson’s speech is titled “The State of the City: Past Accomplishments; Future Vision.” It’s scheduled to begin at noon Tuesday in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.
The congregation of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church voted overwhelmingly on Sunday to sell their building and 3.6 acres to the developers of a new Kroger shopping center.
Note: This story was last updated at 11:01 a.m. Oct. 1.
It was a difficult decision for many, but members of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church voted overwhelmingly on Sunday to sell their building and 3.6 acres to make way for a new Kroger development that could open in 2014.
There were 169 votes in favor of selling and 12 opposed. The vote to sell required a two-thirds majority, or 120 votes.
The sale price for the heavily used property—a serene, wooded tract in the heart of Oak Ridge—has not been publicly disclosed.
Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church
Members of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church are scheduled to vote at 11:45 a.m. today on whether to sell their property to make way for a commercial development anchored by a Kroger Marketplace at the busy intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue.
The church, also used for many community functions such as League of Women Voters events and Rotary Club meetings, is located on 3.6 acres just east of that intersection. The land could become part of the $30 million, 22-acre Kroger development’s outparcel space.
Annual inspections of 127 public housing apartments this month led to four evictions for criminal and drug-related activities, the Oak Ridge Housing Authority announced Thursday.
Three of the evictions resulted in charges against a family member, a ORHA press release said. No one was charged in the fourth case due to the nature of the offense.
“However, in accordance with our policies, the offense will result in the family losing their housing assistance with ORHA,” the press release said. It did not give more information.
At right, John Shewairy of the U.S. Department of Energy in Oak Ridge gives Second Harvest’s John Bell, center, a food donation as part of the Feds Feed Families campaign. Aaron White, left, coordinated this year’s campaign. (Photo by Lynn Freeny/DOE)
U.S. Department of Energy employees donated 11,437 pounds of food on Thursday to the Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee.
The donation was part of the national Feds Feed Families campaign, a press release said.
“This is the third year the DOE’s Oak Ridge site has participated in the annual summer campaign, which helps replenish local food banks and raises awareness about the prevalence of hunger nationally,” the release said.
Under the direction of DOE’s local federal employee mentor program, more than 11,000 pounds of food has been donated for three consecutive years, the release said.
Work on a new sidewalk at Briarcliff Park is expected to be completed by Friday, a press release said.
The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department had contracted with First Place Finish Inc. of Oak Ridge to build the sidewalk. It will connect the parking lot to the playground, making the playground more accessible, the release said.
Expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs can be turned in to the Oak Ridge Police Department on Saturday.
It’s part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. Saturday’s event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Police Department at 200 S. Tulane Ave.
The service is free and anonymous, and no questions will be asked, a city press release said.
Admission at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge will be free on Saturday for visitors who have downloaded a ticket from the Smithsonian Magazine website.
It’s the eighth annual Smithsonian Magazine’s National Museum Day Live!, and more than 1,400 venues are participating, an AMSE press release said.
The tickets can be downloaded at www.Smithsonian.com/museumday. One ticket will allow entry for two people. There is a limit of one ticket per household and e-mail address.
Second Harvest Food Bank Executive Director Elaine Streno accepts the first $20,000 installment of a $60,000 UT-Battelle donation from Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason. (Photo submitted by ORNL)
UT-Battelle gave Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee $20,000 on Wednesday.
It’s the first part of a three-year, $60,000 donation to help the local nonprofit organization feed hungry East Tennessee residents, a press release said.
Sirens may sound several times between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in Oak Ridge today as the Y-12 Public Warning Siren System is tested as part of a system replacement.
A B&W Y-12 press release said the vendor, American Signal, might sound each siren separately—and possibly more than once—to verify that it works properly.
Violin soloist Sidney Matlock, a sixth-grade student and competition winner, will perform at the Free Family Concert at 3 p.m. Sunday at Oak Ridge High School. (Submitted photo)
A free family concert Sunday by the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra features the “Suite from Sleeping Beauty” by Russian composer Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky.
The theme of the 3 p.m. concert at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center is “Princesses and Knights,” a press release said.
“Youngsters of all ages are encouraged to come dressed in royal costume,” it said. “They will participate in the parade of princesses and knights during the concert.”
The press release said parents should bring their children at 2:30 p.m. Sunday so they can decorate a crown or tiara for the parade.
Violin soloist Sidney Matlock will play “Allegro Brillante” by the 19th century Dutch composer Willem Have, the press release said. Matlock is a sixth-grade violin student of ORSO concertmaster Karen Kartal and a winner in the most recent Youth Aliyah competition.
About 500 people enjoyed food and music at Saturday’s Taste of Oak Ridge in Jackson Square, organizers said.
Now in its fourth year, Taste of Oak Ridge is an annual fundraiser held by the Jackson Square Business Association to benefit The Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge. This year’s five-hour festival raised about $2,500 for the clinic, the most so far, a press release said.
The Free Medical Clinic serves low-income, uninsured residents of Anderson and Roane counties.
