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Council to get update on airport this evening

Posted at 3:09 pm September 22, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Airport Development Plan

The Heritage Center airport development plan is pictured above. (Cropped image from DOE Draft Environmental Assessment)

 

The City Council will get an update on the proposed general aviation airport in west Oak Ridge during a work session this evening.

The update will be given by Billy Stair, public affairs consultant for the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority.

The airport could cost $30-$40 million, and construction could start in 2018, according to a current timeline and construction estimate. The airport would include a 5,000-foot runway and be built at the front side of Heritage Center, the former K-25 site.

The Oak Ridge airport would the third for the MKAA, which would own the site. The other two are McGhee Tyson in Blount County and Downtown Island in Knoxville. The Oak Ridge airport would be a reliever airport and help relieve congestion at the other two airports. [Read more…]

Filed Under: East Tennessee Technology Park, Front Page News, Government, Meetings and Events, Oak Ridge, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: airport, Anderson County Chamber of Commerce, Billy Stair, Central Services Complex, City Council, DOE, Downtown Island, environmental assessment, Heritage Center, K-25, McGhee Tyson, Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority, MKAA, Oak Ridge, property transfer, Rick Meredith, U.S. Department of Energy

Airport could cost $30-$40 million, construction could start in 2018

Posted at 1:41 pm August 20, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Airport Property Transfer Session

Oak Ridge resident and pilot Jerry Depew, center, talks to Billy Stair, a consultant for the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority, during an information session on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2015, to discuss a proposed property transfer for a general aviation airport at Heritage Center, the former K-25 site. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 4:36 p.m.

Conditions are subject to change, but current plans call for starting construction on a general aviation airport at Heritage Center, the former K-25 site, in 2018. The current estimate range says the airport could cost between $30 million and $40 million, officials said Wednesday.

Work on an airport master plan is just starting, and it could take 12 months to complete, said Bill Marrison, president of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority. He said that plan will provide more details on subjects like cost and schedule.

The Oak Ridge airport would the third for the MKAA, which would own the site. The other two are McGhee Tyson in Blount County and Downtown Island in Knoxville.

Marrison said the Oak Ridge airport would be a reliever airport and help relieve congestion at the other two airports. He said McGhee Tyson is at capacity and there is no hangar space available, and Downtown Island has 100 people on its waiting list. [Read more…]

Filed Under: DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Knoxville, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: 10 Simple Steps to Improve Your Linked In Profile, airport, Becky Huckaby, Bill Marrison, Bob Pryor, Brooklyn Metropolitan Center, DOE, Heritage Center, Jeff Smith, K-25 site, MKAA, Oak Ridge airport, Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association, property transfer, Sue Cange, U.S. Department of Energy, Wheat

Reminder: Property transfer for airport to be discussed during info session today

Posted at 8:55 am August 19, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Airport Development Plan

The Heritage Center airport development plan is pictured above. The airport site is the area pictured in yellow. The main entrance to Heritage Center off Oak Ridge Turnpike is at bottom left, in the area of the ponds. (Cropped image from DOE Draft Environmental Assessment)

 

About 170 acres of land at a federal site in west Oak Ridge could be transferred to a nonprofit organization for a new general aviation airport that would feature a 5,000-foot runway and accommodate airplanes and helicopters.

The airport would be built on the south side of Heritage Center, which is also known as East Tennessee Technology Park and the former K-25 site. The runway would be close to and run roughly parallel to Oak Ridge Turnpike/State Route 58.

A draft environmental assessment, or EA, has been prepared for the property transfer. It evaluates the potential impacts of transferring the ETTP land from the U.S. Department of Energy to the nonprofit Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority. DOE and MKAA representatives will be available to discuss the proposed action during a public information session from 5-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 19, at the DOE Information Center. The Information Center is on the west end of the building that houses the Office of Scientific and Technical Information in east Oak Ridge.

No formal presentation is planned, and the public may stop by at any time during the session. [Read more…]

Filed Under: DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Meetings and Events, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: airport, Ben Williams, Blair Road, business development, Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, CROET, DOE, DOE Information Center, DOE Office of Environmental Management, Downtown Island Airport, draft EA, draft environmental assessment, EA, East Tennessee Technology Park, environmental assessment, ETTP, Federal Aviation Administration, general aviation, general aviation airport, haul road, Heritage Center, K-25 site, Leidos, McGhee Tyson Airport, Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority, MKAA, National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, Oak Ridge airport, Oak Ridge Turnpike, property transfer, Rockwood Municipal Airport, SR 58, State Route 58, State Route 61, U.S. Department of Energy, Victorius Boulevard

Property transfer for Oak Ridge airport to be discussed during info session on Aug. 19

Posted at 12:00 pm August 5, 2015
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Oak Ridge Airport Development Plan

The Heritage Center airport development plan is pictured above. The airport site is the area pictured in yellow. The main entrance to Heritage Center off Oak Ridge Turnpike is at bottom left, in the area of the ponds. (Cropped image from DOE Draft Environmental Assessment)

 

About 170 acres of land at a federal site in west Oak Ridge could be transferred to a nonprofit organization for a new general aviation airport that would feature a 5,000-foot runway and accommodate airplanes and helicopters.

The airport would be built on the south side of Heritage Center, which is also known as East Tennessee Technology Park and the former K-25 site. The runway would be close to and run roughly parallel to Oak Ridge Turnpike/State Route 58.

A draft environmental assessment, or EA, has been prepared for the property transfer. It evaluates the potential impacts of transferring the ETTP land from the U.S. Department of Energy to the nonprofit Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority. DOE and MKAA representatives will be available to discuss the proposed action during a public information session from 5-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 19, at the DOE Information Center. The Information Center is on the west end of the building that houses the Office of Scientific and Technical Information in east Oak Ridge.

No formal presentation is planned, and the public may stop by at any time during the session. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Meetings and Events, Oak Ridge, Roane County, Slider, State, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: airport, Ben Williams, Blair Road, business development, Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, CROET, DOE, DOE Information Center, DOE Office of Environmental Management, Downtown Island Airport, draft EA, draft environmental assessment, EA, East Tennessee Technology Park, environmental assessment, ETTP, Federal Aviation Administration, general aviation, general aviation airport, haul road, Heritage Center, K-25 site, Leidos, McGhee Tyson Airport, Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority, MKAA, National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, Oak Ridge airport, Oak Ridge Turnpike, property transfer, Rockwood Municipal Airport, SR 58, State Route 58, State Route 61, U.S. Department of Energy, Victorius Boulevard

UCOR recognizes small businesses at awards ceremony

Posted at 1:27 am July 30, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Karen Reeve and Tim Melberg

Karen Reeve, UCOR small business manager, and Tim Melberg, UCOR supply chain manager, present the 2015 UCOR Small Business Awards. (Photo courtesy UCOR)

 

UCOR, the U.S. Department of Energy’s cleanup contractor for the Oak Ridge Reservation, presented awards to seven small businesses at its annual Small Business Awards ceremony, held Monday, July 27, at the Double Tree Hotel in Oak Ridge.

The categories and winners are: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, East Tennessee Technology Park, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: A-Z Office Solutions LLC, Allstate Trailers Inc., Company Wrench Ltd., Edwards Supply Company Inc., Evade Environmental LLC, Hubbard Trucking Company Inc., Karen Reeve, Ken Rueter, Oak Ridge Reservation, Small Business Awards, Strata-G Staffing Services Inc., U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR

K-31 Demolition: 200 acres now available for development at ETTP

Posted at 1:09 pm July 2, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

K-31 Demolition

The last section of the K-31 Building at East Tennessee Technology Park was demolished on Friday, June 26. It’s the fourth of five buildings to be demolished where gaseous diffusion was once used to enrich uranium. (Photo by Lynn Freeny/DOE) 

 

Demolition now complete on four of five gaseous diffusion buildings

Demolition of the large K-31 Building in west Oak Ridge means that 200 acres of flat land are now available for industrial development at East Tennessee Technology Park, officials said.

“It’s the largest parcel of land available at ETTP,” said Sue Cange, manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management.

Infrastructure is already in place, including water, sewer, roads, and electricity, Cange said. Also, ETTP is close to Interstate 40, a short rail line, and possibly an airport. (There are plans to build an airport at the site, which is also known as Heritage Center.)

K-31 is the fourth of five gaseous diffusion buildings demolished at ETTP. The site, which has also been known as K-25 and Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, was built during the Manhattan Project in World War II as part of a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs. Officials say it helped to win the Cold War, enriching uranium for commercial nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons.

But operations ended in 1985, and the site was permanently shut down in 1987. DOE then began cleanup operations and—with the help of contractors, a nonprofit organization, and others–is converting it into a large private industrial park. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: cleanup contractor, Cold War, demolition, DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Environmental Management Waste Management Facility, ETTP, gaseous diffusion, Heritage Center, industrial development, industrial park, Jeff Tucker, K-25, K-25 Building, K-27, K-27 Building, K-29, K-31, K-31 Building, K-33, Ken Rueter, Manhattan Project, Mark Whitney, Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Oak Ridge Reservation, Sue Cange, U.S. Department of Energy, World War II

RSI awards eight scholarships to local students

Posted at 7:08 pm June 22, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

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…]

Filed Under: Business, College, East Tennessee Technology Park, Education, Front Page News, K-12, Oak Ridge, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Abby Colvais, Christian Ironside, college scholarships, Dmitry Petrov, Employee Outreach Committee, Farragut High School, Grace Christian Academy, high school students, Jackson Lloyd, Lonnie Goss, Miami University, Morgan Cleveland, Oak Ridge High School, Pellissippi State Community College, Restoration Services Inc., Roane County High School, RSI, scholarships, Sierra Sims, Tyler Moore

UCOR contributes to ADFAC as benefactor sponsor

Posted at 10:27 pm June 21, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

UCOR ADFAC Donation 2015

UCOR President and Project Manager Ken Rueter, right, presents the 2015 Corporate Membership contribution to ADFAC’s Ray Smith, left, Board of Directors and Corporate Committee member, and ADFAC’s Executive Director, Annie Cacheiro. (Submitted photo)

 

UCOR recently contributed to Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties as a benefactor sponsor for ADFAC’s 2015 Corporate Membership Campaign, a press release said.

UCOR President and Project Manager Ken Rueter presented the contribution to ADFAC representative Ray Smith and Executive Director Annie Cacheiro. UCOR is a partnership between URS and CH2M Oak Ridge LLC.

Smith, an ADFAC board member and Corporate Committee member, said: “This campaign is geared toward encouraging area corporations to support the very important mission of helping those most in need in our community. UCOR has been a corporate member for several years and we greatly appreciate their continued generosity.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, East Tennessee Technology Park, Front Page News, Nonprofits, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: ADFAC, AECOM, Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, Annie Cacheiro, CH2M Hill, CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, Corporate Membership Campaign, East Tennessee Technology Park, Ken Rueter, Ray Smith, UCOR, URS

ETTP emergency exercise to be held Tuesday, June 16

Posted at 5:54 pm June 15, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

An emergency exercise will be conducted at the East Tennessee Technology Park in west Oak Ridge beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 16.

The emergency exercise is being conducted by URS-CH2M Oak Ridge, LLC, or UCOR.

The exercise, which should conclude no later than 1 p.m., is being conducted in coordination with the U.S. Department of Energy and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, a press release said. It will involve participants from multiple state agencies; the city of Oak Ridge; and Anderson, Knox, Loudon, and Roane counties. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, East Tennessee Technology Park, Front Page News, Knox County, Meetings and Events, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Roane County, Tennessee, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Anderson, East Tennessee Technology Park, emergency exercise, ETTP, Knox, Loudon, Roane, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, URS-CH2M Oak Ridge LLC

DOE Oak Ridge awards $33.4 million telecommunications contract

Posted at 10:34 am May 20, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

DOE Oak Ridge Telecommunications Contract

Robert Forshay, left, partner alliance manager with Black Box Network Services, and Kevin Hall, manager of DOE’s Oak Ridge Office, sign a telecommunications contract for the Oak Ridge Federal Integrated Communications Network. (DOE photo/Lynn Freeny)

 

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Integrated Support Center-Oak Ridge has awarded a $33.4 million telecommunications contract to Mutual Telecom Services Inc., doing business as Black Box Network Services, or Black Box.

Black Box is responsible for providing operations, maintenance, and upgrades to the Oak Ridge Federal Integrated Communications Network at the Oak Ridge Townsite, East Tennessee Technology Park, Y-12 National Security Complex, Office of Secure Transportation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. The Oak Ridge Townsite refers to the Federal Building, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, Building 2714 Complex, and various locations in the local vicinity.

“We are pleased to announce Black Box as the Oak Ridge Reservation’s integrated telecom service provider,” Oak Ridge Office Manager Kevin Hall said. “This selection comes after many months of evaluations by our selection team for this crucial service, and we are excited to have Black Box on board as our new partner.”

The company has more than 30 years of experience supporting U.S. government locations with similar needs and requirements. Black Box is located in Needham, Massachusetts. The contract has a two-year base and three one-year options. A 90-day transition begins on June 1.

Filed Under: Business, East Tennessee Technology Park, Front Page News, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Reservation, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: AAUW Oak Ridge Branch, Black Box, Black Box Network Services, Building 2714, East Tennessee Technology Park, Federal Building, Integrated Support Center-Oak Ridge, Kevin Hall, Mutual Telecom Services Inc., Oak Ridge Federal Integrated Communications Network, Oak Ridge Institue for Science and Education, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Townsite, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, Office of Secure Transportation, telecom service, telecommunications contract, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex

Alexander: Bill raises Office of Science funding to highest-ever, includes UPF, supercomputing, cleanup funding

Posted at 7:05 pm May 19, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

A bill approved by a U.S. Senate subcommittee on Tuesday would give $5.144 billion to the federal agency that oversees work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It’s the highest level of funding ever for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, which oversees 10 national labs, including ORNL, federal officials said.

The bill would also provide $430 million for the proposed Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex, which will “continue to keep this project on time and on budget,” according to a press release from the office of U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican.

Alexander’s office also said the legislation would provide funding for:

  • a new mercury treatment plant in Oak Ridge,
  • cleanup of nuclear facilities that are no longer in service,
  • nuclear infrastructure at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and
  • advanced computing, which supports the new Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The bill was unanimously approved on a voice vote by the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development on Tuesday afternoon. Alexander is chair of that subcommittee, and he said the approval shows that there is bipartisan support for energy research, waterways, and national security. [Read more…]

Filed Under: East Tennessee Technology Park, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: advanced computing, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, Appropriations Committee, Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, ARPA-E, Chickamauga Lock, cleanup, Dianne Feinstein, energy research, exascale computing, hot cells, International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, isotope production, isotopes, ITER, Lamar Alexander, mercury treatment, National Nuclear Security Administration, national security, nuclear facilities, nuclear power, nuclear waste, nuclear waste storage, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Office of Science, ORNL, physical sciences, science, small modular reactors, summit, Summit supercomputer, supercomputer, technology, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Senate, uranium processing facility, waterways, Y-12 National Security Complex

BES Technologies celebrates one million gallons of recycled water

Posted at 10:54 am May 8, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

BES Technologies Rad Waste Water Laundry Operations

BES Technologies LLC, or BEST, has reached a major milestone by recycling one million gallons of radiological waste water through its laundry operations at the East Tennessee Technology Park.

“This represents the prevention of one million gallons of water that would have gone into our environment, but instead was cleaned and re-used,” a press release said. “This recycling process not only avoids environmental insult, but also allows for savings to be passed on to customers by cleaning and reusing water.”

The press release said the laundering service uses a state-of-the-art radiological water treatment system, and it is able to reuse more than 70 percent of the water used in its process. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, East Tennessee Technology Park, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Meetings and Events, Oak Ridge, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: AquaRecycle, BES Technologies, BEST, Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, East Tennessee Technology Park, ETTP, John J. Duncan Jr., laundry operations, National Nuclear Security Administration, nuclear operations, Omega Technical Services, rad waste water, recycled water, recycling, Smoky Mountain Solutions, U.S. Department of Energy

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