Voters are invited to a Meet the Candidates event on Thursday, October 18, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the gymnasium at the Oak Ridge Civic Center.
Democracy for East Tennessee is sponsoring this event so residents of Oak Ridge can become better acquainted with the candidates for offices in the upcoming November city, state, and federal general elections, a press release said. Early voting begins October 17, and the election is Tuesday, November 6. [Read more…]
Pavement patching and repairs are under way across Oak Ridge, and the work is expected to continue during the next three months, a press release said.
The work is being done by PRI of East Tennessee Inc., working under contract for the City of Oak Ridge.
The repairs are part of an effort to assist the Oak Ridge Public Works Department street crews with a backlog of approximately 140 open work orders for pavement repairs associated with water main breaks, the press release said. More than half of the repairs needed are the result of the more than 80 water main breaks from January 2018. [Read more…]
The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Bull Run Fossil Plant is pictured above in Claxton on Monday, Aug. 27, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The Tennessee Valley Authority is asking for public comment on a proposed Environmental Investigation Plan for coal combustion residuals at Bull Run Fossil Plant in Claxton, across the Clinch River from east Oak Ridge.
TVA is developing the plan and seeking public comment following direction from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation regarding coal ash and other coal combustion residuals stored at TVA’s coal plants in Tennessee, a press release said.
The Bull Run Fossil Plant Environmental Investigation Plan provides details on how TVA plans to investigate and assess the risks to soil, surface water, and groundwater from coal combustion residuals stored at Bull Run, the press release said.
This is not related to the review of generating assets announced at TVA’s August board meeting, the press release said. [Read more…]
The new Peace Pavilion for the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell will be dedicated Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018, in A.K. Bissell Park. This architect’s rendering shows the large cantilever structure, crossed by a series of beams, that will support the Bell in its new location. (Image courtesy of demianwilburarchitects)
The new Peace Pavilion for the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell will be dedicated in a ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, September 20, at the bell’s new site in A.K. Bissell Park. The bell’s sound will resonate for the first time from its new location that evening, from a pavilion designed to project harmony, stability, innovation, and peace, a press release said.
“We would not be where we are today without the passion of Shigeko Uppuluri and her son, Ram Uppuluri, who initiated the project by connecting us with a visionary architect, Ziad Demian, who embraced not only the challenge of an innovative design but an entire city,” said Alan Tatum, who co-chaired the International Friendship Bell Citizens Advisory Committee with Pat Postma.
In the press release, Postma said that the architect’s first elegant and contemporary designs introduced a different way of thinking about what was possible for the new bell housing. That, and the decision to move the bell to a new location will make it more visible and accessible to the community, with added benefits of gardens and gathering spaces on benches around the bell, she said.
“This accomplishment and the fundraising it required was not just ambitious,” Postma said. “It was probably audacious, but Oak Ridge has a way of stepping up. Oak Ridgers are willing to support exceptional projects that speak for who we are as a city.” [Read more…]
Visual of the location of the new bridge over the Clinch River connecting downtown Clinton to South Clinton. (Image via Clinton Mayor Scott Burton/Facebook)
Blalock Construction has notified the City of Clinton that Riverside Drive will be closed between South Charles G. Seivers Boulevard (State Route 61) and Meadowbrook Street, beginning early Tuesday morning, September 18, a press release said.
For the next three years, motorists trying to reach the Riverside/Riverbend areas will need to use one of four alternate routes: Meadowbrook Street, Willow Street, Elm Street, or Redbud Drive, the press release said.
Attempting to make a left turn onto any of these four streets may present a challenge during afternoon hours, when school and work traffic is at its peak, the press release said. To help accommodate this, the City of Clinton is currently upgrading the traffic signal at Willow Street/Sunset Road, the release said. [Read more…]
There will be an emergency exercise on Wednesday, and it will include low-flying helicopters, a press release said.
The emergency exercise is being conducted by emergency responders from the U.S. Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, along with state and local emergency management personnel.
“The public may observe emergency responders simulating response activities in the area surrounding the Oak Ridge Reservation,” a press release said. “Additionally, low-flying National Guard helicopters will be performing training in the area. The helicopters will be flying in the Melton Hill Lake area near ORNL. These activities are part of the exercise.” [Read more…]
You can comment on the proposed new federal landfill in Bear Creek Valley during a public information session in Oak Ridge today (Thursday, September 13).
The landfill would be called the Environmental Management Disposal Facility, and it would be 2.2 million cubic yards on land owned by the federal government. It would be used by the U.S. Department of Energy to dispose of waste from the Oak Ridge Reservation.
The public information session is scheduled from 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday at the DOE Information Center in east Oak Ridge at 1 Science.gov Way. The meeting is hosted by DOE, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
The purpose of the meeting is to share information about the proposed plan and hear public comments, according to a public notice sent to Oak Ridge Today on Wednesday afternoon. [Read more…]
Gary Human
Submitted
Anderson County has a rich history, from coal mining to pearling, and the rise from agricultural infancy to become a world-leading technological powerhouse.
But what about Anderson County’s future? What is your vision—as a citizen, business leader, or elected official—for Anderson County?
Come share your ideas at a “Visioning Workshop” from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 20, in the Club Room at the Clinton Community Center, 101 Hicks Street. Sandwiches will be provided during the event, which was originally scheduled to be at the Anderson Courthouse, a press release said. [Read more…]
Anderson County EMS and Knoxville Fire Department representing State of Tennessee EMS Region 2 and headed to Charleston, S.C., on Monday, Sept. 10, 2018, to help with Hurricane Florence. Pictured above are Scott Prosise and Bobbi Jo Henderson of Anderson County EMS, and Brian Buchanan of KFD. (Photo by Anderson County EMS)
Anderson County Emergency Medical Services has responded to a deployment request from the state of South Carolina to aid in evacuations ahead of the anticipated landfall of Hurricane Florence.
Anderson County EMS is part of the Region II EMS Directors Association, which is comprised of 30 ambulance, fire, rescue, aeromedical, and hospital agencies located in 16 counties throughout East Tennessee.
The Anderson County team responded to South Carolina’s call for help with the “Ambus,” a regional asset from Region II EMS Directors Association, that is housed, maintained, and operated by Anderson County EMS, a press release said.
The Ambus is designed to accommodate 20 or more low-acuity patients from one location, the press release said. It is not designed for the most critical patients, although the unit can adapt to any situation that is encountered. The transport kit was provided by the state and installed into a school bus donated by Morgan County Schools. [Read more…]
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 on Monday unanimously approved an initial bond resolution of up to $16.5 million to build a new Oak Ridge Preschool and Oak Ridge Senior Center, and redevelop Scarboro Park.
It’s not the final bond resolution for the projects. The initial bond resolution approved in a 7-0 vote on Monday sets a ceiling amount for the debt issuance. A second resolution, a bond issuance resolution, will be brought to City Council, possibly at the October 8 meeting, for the actual bond issuance amount.
The City of Oak Ridge has opened the bidding period for the two projects, which have a total estimated cost of roughly $16 million. That announcement was made Friday.
But the city doesn’t know yet what the actual bids will be. And it’s not clear how steel tariffs might affect the projects, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said. [Read more…]
Ed Westcott was the official government photographer in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II. (File photo)
A Manhattan Project National Historical Park program this month will focus on three unique Manhattan Project employees: Ed Westcott, Ernest Wilkins Jr., and Leona Woods.
The program is free. It is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Saturday, September 22, at the historic Midtown Community Center at 102 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge.
“We will delve into Leona Woods’ contribution as one of the few female scientists, Ed Westcott’s influential photography as the Manhattan Project’s only official photographer, and Ernest Wilkins Jr.’s lasting impact on the fields of mathematics, science, and engineering,” a press release said. [Read more…]
Visual of the location of the new bridge over the Clinch River connecting downtown Clinton to South Clinton. (Image via Clinton Mayor Scott Burton/Facebook)
The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce will show a video this month that will include 3D animations of the new bridge over the Clinch River in downtown Clinton and other images highlighting a new downtown vision.
The video, titled “Clinton: The Downtown Vision,” will be shown from 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, September 25, at Faith Promise’s Anderson County campus, which is at 96 Mariner Point Drive, a press release said.
“The Chamber has partnered with QK4 Inc. to create a video that showcases 3D animations of the new ‘green bridge,’ streetscapes, and more of what the vision holds,” the press release said. “This will be the first time that the video has been shown publicly.” [Read more…]
