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Limited amount of sod from Blankenship Field available Friday

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The high school football season is over, and renovation work started at Blankenship Field in November 2018. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Schools)

The high school football season is over, and renovation work started at Blankenship Field in November 2018. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Schools)

 

A limited amount of sod from Blankenship Field will be available to football fans during a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday afternoon.

Renovations have started at the field, which will be converted from grass to synthetic turf, possibly by the end of April.

The ceremonial groundbreaking will be hosted by the City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Schools, and it is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. Friday, December 7.

“Football fans will be given the opportunity to take home a piece of sod from the field beginning at 3:30 p.m. Friday,” a press release said. A limited amount of sod will be available at no cost on a first-come, first-served basis. [Read more…]


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Photos: Work begins on Blankenship Field

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The high school football season is over, and renovation work started at Blankenship Field in November 2018. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Schools)

The high school football season is over, and renovation work started at Blankenship Field in November 2018. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Schools)

 

The high school football season is over, and renovation work has started at Blankenship Field.

The City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Schools have both posted photos of the start of the work.

On Wednesday, the City of Oak Ridge said maintenance crews from Oak Ridge Schools were doing preliminary work, including removing irrigation, fencing, and sod.

“Heavy machinery will arrive with the contractors soon,” the city said in a post published on Twitter. “We can’t wait to see the finished product next year!” [Read more…]

Bonds sold Tuesday for Preschool, Senior Center

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A rendering of the new Oak Ridge Preschool at Scarboro Park. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Studio Four Design)

A rendering of the new Oak Ridge Preschool at Scarboro Park. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Studio Four Design)

 

Bonds sold Tuesday morning for three construction projects: Oak Ridge Preschool, Oak Ridge Senior Center, and Scarboro Park renovations.

The bonds sold at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said.

There were six competitors. Fidelity Capital Markets had the low bid, with an interest rate of 3.613651 percent.

It’s considered a good interest rate. Anything below 4 percent is good, Watson said.

There wasn’t a large spread between the six bidders. The highest bidder had an interest rate of 3.720288. [Read more…]

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ORHS Masquers presents ‘Our Town’ this week

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Image courtesy ORHS Masquers

Image courtesy ORHS Masquers

 

Oak Ridge High School Masquers, the school’s drama program, will present Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Our Town” for three performances this week.

The performances are scheduled for Thursday, November 8, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, November 10, at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, November 11, at 2 p.m., at the Oak Ridge Performing Arts Center. [Read more…]

Four incumbents re-elected to Oak Ridge City Council

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Warren Gooch

Warren Gooch

Note: This story was last updated at 12 a.m.

The four incumbents—Mayor Warren Gooch, Council members Kelly Callison and Ellen Smith, and Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn—were re-elected to four-year terms on Oak Ridge City Council on Tuesday, according to unofficial election results in Anderson and Roane counties.

The final results mirrored the results of early and absentee ballots in Anderson County.

There were four City Council seats up for regular election and five candidates for those seats.

Gooch had the most votes Tuesday, a total of 7,916 in the two counties (6,774 in Anderson County and 1,142 in Roane County). Gooch also had the highest number of votes in the transitional 2014 election, his first City Council election. [Read more…]

Election 2018: Progress PAC endorsements for City Council, School Board

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Note This story was updated at 10 a.m.

Four candidates for Oak Ridge City Council and all three candidates running for Oak Ridge Board of Education running in the election today (Tuesday, November 6) have earned endorsements by Progress PAC.

Three City Council incumbents—Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch, Ellen Smith, and Kelly Callison—received the PAC endorsements as did Tim Stallings, who previously served on the City Council in the 1990s.

School Board candidates Laura McLean, Ben Stephens, and Erin Webb—who are all serving on the BOE now and are running unopposed—also received the political action committee’s nod, a press release said.

Progress PAC, which was created by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce but which operates independently, endorses City Council and School Board candidates who ask for the committee’s support and who are supportive of the Chamber’s mission, vision, and key legislative priorities, the press release said. [Read more…]

ACSD: Juvenile suspect confesses to making bomb threat at Claxton Elementary

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A juvenile suspect has confessed to making the bomb threat that forced the evacuation of Claxton Elementary School on Tuesday, authorities said.

The bomb threat to the elementary school was reported to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department just before noon on Tuesday.

The school was immediately evacuated, and students and staff were placed off property at Zion Baptist Church. Students were not able to return to school and were dismissed from the church, according to a press release from Tyler Mayes, director of administrative services for the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department. [Read more…]

Council to consider bond resolution for Preschool, Senior Center Monday

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A rendering of the new Oak Ridge Preschool at Scarboro Park. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Studio Four Design)

A rendering of the new Oak Ridge Preschool at Scarboro Park. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Studio Four Design)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council will consider a resolution this evening to issue up to $13.75 million in bonds so the city can build a new preschool and senior center, and make improvements at Scarboro Park as part of the preschool project.

The special meeting starts at 6 p.m. Monday, October 29, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom at 200 South Tulane Avenue.

Council approved an initial bond resolution of up to $16.5 million for the preschool and senior center projects during a meeting on Monday, September 10. That amount is higher than the amount of tonight’s bond resolution. Some savings have been realized compared to original estimates, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said in a memo to Council members. [Read more…]

2018 ORHS Homecoming Court

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The Oak Ridge High School Homecoming Court for 2018 is pictured above. Top left, Kaitlin Valenzuela, Abigail Gerlock, Hailee Ladd, Makiya Garrett, and Kaylynn Eastridge; and top right, Thomas Peplow, Dillon Nowatchik, Javonte’ Thomas, Quentin Viau, and Alex Baker. (Photo courtesy Diana Homan)

The Oak Ridge High School Homecoming Court for 2018 is pictured above. Top left, Kaitlin Valenzuela, Abigail Gerlock, Hailee Ladd, Makiya Garrett, and Kaylynn Eastridge; and top right, Thomas Peplow, Dillon Nowatchik, Javonte’ Thomas, Quentin Viau, and Alex Baker. (Photo courtesy Diana Homan)

 

The 2018 Homecoming Court has been selected for Oak Ridge High School, and Homecoming is today (Friday, October 19).

The Homecoming football game starts at 7:30 p.m. at Jack Armstrong Stadium. The Oak Ridge Wildcats (7-1, 4-0 Region 3-5A) will play the Powell Panthers. Powell is 1-7 overall and 1-4 in the region but had to forfeit six wins due to an ineligible player.

Here is information on the members of the Homecoming Court, provided by Diana Homan, ORHS math teacher.

[Read more…]

Oliver Springs High School rebranding as STEAM academy

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Kaylen Benbenek at Oliver Springs High School (Photo courtesy Oliver Springs High School)

Kaylen Benbenek at Oliver Springs High School (Photo courtesy Oliver Springs High School)

 

Efforts are under way to rebrand Oliver Springs High School as Oliver Springs STEAM Academy, the Oliver Springs Alumni Education Foundation announced Tuesday.

STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) has become increasingly popular as an educational approach in school systems across the nation, a press release said.

“Using these subjects as an access point allows students to view real-world problems in a more critical yet broader scope,” the press release said.

“Oliver Springs High School has been ahead of the curve in state academics quite often,” said Oliver Springs High School Principal Justin Nivens. “We had the first robotics team in Tennessee and won a national championship in 2001. Innovation has been a common thread in an Oliver Springs High School education, and we’re just taking it to the next level.” [Read more…]

Forum for Oak Ridge City Council, Board of Education candidates is Tuesday

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The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge will sponsor a candidate forum on Tuesday, October 16, at 7 p.m. in the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater. Candidates running for Oak Ridge City Council and Oak Ridge Board of Education have been invited to participate, a press release said.

The five candidates for a four-year term on City Council are Kelly Callison, R.G. “Rick” Chinn Jr., Warren Gooch, Ellen D. Smith, and Timothy L. Stallings. Four council members will be elected. Derrick M. Hammond is the only candidate running to fill the unexpired two-year term left by Council member Hans Vogel when he resigned earlier this year.

The three candidates for a four-year term on the Oak Ridge Board of Education are Laura McLean, Benjamin J. Stephens, and Erin S. Webb. Three board members will be elected. [Read more…]

Council approves construction contracts for Preschool, Senior Center

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A rendering of the new Oak Ridge Preschool at Scarboro Park. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Studio Four Design)

A rendering of the new Oak Ridge Preschool at Scarboro Park. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Studio Four Design)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council has approved two construction contracts worth $11.1 million total for two projects that have been discussed for years: a new Oak Ridge Preschool and new Oak Ridge Senior Center. The Preschool contract includes improvements at Scarboro Park, where the Preschool will be built.

Both contracts were awarded to Jenkins and Stiles LLC of Knoxville. Council approved them in two 7-0 votes during a special meeting on Thursday afternoon.

Both projects will be funded through general obligation bonds, a type of debt. The bonds could go to market in November and close in December.

The first contract awarded Thursday is for the construction of the Preschool and improvements to Scarboro Park. It is worth up to about $8.4 million. The Preschool is expected to be complete by November 30, 2019.  [Read more…]

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