Oak Ridge Today





Suggs promoted to deputy city manager

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Jack Suggs

Oak Ridge Electric Director Jack Suggs has been promoted to deputy city manager. He will start his new job Monday, March 8.

In his new position, Suggs will help with several projects, including the new water plant, economic development projects, computer software, and the transfer of the Oak Ridge Airport project, the city said in a press release.

Suggs’ promotion will allow other potential leaders to advance, most immediately in the Oak Ridge Electric Department, the press release said. Ardo Ba, who is currently the department’s electric operations manager, will serve as interim electric director.

“The city is fortunate to have someone with a unique set of engineering, business, and operations knowledge and experience who is able to step up,” Suggs said of Ba. “I am confident that I am leaving the department in capable hands.”

Suggs joined the City of Oak Ridge in 1989 as assistant director of public works after having served in related professional positions in Texas. He began serving as electric director in 1991.

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Parking at Melton Lake Park to be closed for regatta March 13 & 14

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Rowing at Melton Hill Lake (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The parking lots at Melton Lake Park will be closed to the public during a regatta next week.

The regatta, the 2021 Oak Ridge Louisville Cardinal Invitational Regatta, is scheduled on Saturday, March 13, and Sunday, March 14. It’s hosted by the City of Oak Ridge in partnership with the Oak Ridge Rowing Association, a press release said.

It’s an invitation-only event, and it will feature elite college women’s rowing teams who will compete in one of the first events of the season, the press release said.

To comply with ACC and Big 10 COVID-19 guidelines, this is a “no spectator” event, the press release said. As a result, the parking lots at Melton Lake Park will be closed to the public during the regatta, the release said.

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Oak Ridge releases water quality report

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The annual water quality report is now available for viewing on the City of Oak Ridge website, and the report says Oak Ridge water was in compliance with state and federal drinking water requirements, a press release said.

You can read the report here: www.oakridgetn.gov/online/water-quality-2020.

Also known as the Consumer Confidence Report, it was mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1998 as an amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act, the press release said.

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Planning Commission to discuss district that would allow motorsports park

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Horizon-Center-Motorsports-Track-6-Feb-11-2020
Part of the site where a test track and research facility or motorsports park could be built on the back side of Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge is pictured above on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission is scheduled to discuss a special recreation district that would allow a motorsports park, among other potential uses.

The special recreation district is being considered as a zoning ordinance amendment. The Planning Commission will meet online, and the meeting is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. today (Thursday, February 18).

A motorsports park has been proposed at the Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge. The proposal has both supporters and detractors.

The zoning ordinance amendment would not endorse that specific proposal. Instead, it would create a new zoning district, the special recreation district, which could be used for large-scale recreation and entertainment developments.

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City has second public meeting on new entrance sign

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Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge of a proposed sign along South Illinois Avenue/Pellissippi Parkway (State Route 62)

The City of Oak Ridge will have its second public meeting on a new sign at the city’s entrance on South Illinois Avenue at 3 p.m. today (Thursday, February 18).

The public meetings are to receive input on the design of the new sign, which will be at the entrance to Oak Ridge from Knox County in Solway.

The sign will be placed on the island between South Illinois Avenue (Pellissippi Parkway/State Route 62) and Bethel Valley Road. It would be near the exit drivers use to go to Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex.

The public meetings are being held online on Zoom. The first meeting was Wednesday. During the meetings, people can join and view the designs, ask questions, and leave their feedback verbally or in the chat. The two meetings will be audio- and video-recorded and subtitles will appear on screen for those who are hearing-impaired.

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Council to discuss fatal police shooting, Gateway Project

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Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge of a proposed sign along South Illinois Avenue/Pellissippi Parkway (State Route 62)

The Oak Ridge City Council this evening will discuss a fatal police shooting in August and this week’s public meetings about a planned sign at the city entrance on South Illinois Avenue/Pellissippi Parkway (State Route 62).

The Council will meet online in a non-voting work session at 6 p.m. today (Tuesday, February 16).

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For members: TVA could test new nuclear reactors in Oak Ridge

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TVA Clinch River Site

The Tennessee Valley Authority could use the potential nuclear reactor site in west Oak Ridge to test new reactors and nuclear technologies.

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TVA Clinch River Site

The Tennessee Valley Authority could use the potential nuclear reactor site in west Oak Ridge to test new reactors and nuclear technologies.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

Pro

Temporary

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!

Council to consider zoning district that could allow motorsports park

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Horizon-Center-Motorsports-Track-6-Feb-11-2020
Part of the site where a motorsports park could be built on the back side of Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge is pictured above on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider a zoning ordinance amendment that could allow a motorsports park.

A motorsports park has been proposed at the Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge. The proposal has both supporters and detractors.

The zoning ordinance amendment being considered by Council at 7 p.m. Monday, February 8, does not endorse that specific proposal. Instead, it would create a new zoning district, the special recreation district, which could be used for large-scale recreation and entertainment developments.

A motorsports park would be one of the permitted uses in the new zoning district, if it is approved. Other permitted uses would be an amphitheater, athletic facility, fairground, amusement park, and zoo.

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City interested in historic preservation grant

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The City of Oak Ridge is pursuing a historic preservation grant that could be used to study priority historic areas and focus on preservation, the removal of blight, and the expansion of the tax base.

If awarded, the grant from the Tennessee Historical Commission could be worth up to $15,000. It would require a 40 percent local match.

The Oak Ridge City Council will consider accepting the grant, if it is awarded, during its regular meeting on Monday.

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Construction of new water plant could start in May, be complete next year

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An image showing the interior of the proposed new 16-million-gallon-per-day water treatment plant at the City of Oak Ridge water intake on the Clinch River south of Bethel Valley Road. (Image courtesy of Jacobs Engineering Group and the City of Oak Ridge)

Construction of the new water plant at the city’s water intake on the Clinch River could start in May and be complete in December 2022, according to a proposed schedule presented to Oak Ridge City Council.

The Council on Monday will consider a construction administration contract for the new water plant, which would be south of Bethel Valley Road. It would be able to treat 16 million gallons of water per day.

If approved Monday, the professional engineering services agreement would be with Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. of Knoxville. The contract would be valued at up to about $1.88 million. It would be for construction administration and observation of the construction of the new water treatment plant and a main transmission line.

Approval of the agreement with Jacobs Engineering on Monday could be contingent upon the city’s ability to use Drinking Water State Revolving Funding, which is pending approval, according to the resolution to be considered by Council.

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ORAU receives National Science Foundation grant to study greenhouse gases in Arctic

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Praveena Krishnan

The National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs has awarded ORAU a collaborative research grant to study greenhouse gas emissions in the Arctic. The award is valued at $581,829.

The grant will be used to study local and regional emissions of isotopes of methane and carbon dioxide. Methane and carbon dioxide are two greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases can help raise the Earth’s temperature, changing the climate and causing other significant changes. (Isotopes are different forms of an element that have equal numbers of protons but different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei.)

In a press release, ORAU said carbon stored in permafrost is increasingly vulnerable to thaw and decomposition by microbes as northern latitudes such as the Arctic continue to warm.

“This decomposition has the potential to lead to large increases in methane and carbon dioxide emissions, both important greenhouse gases,” ORAU said. “Accurate and reliable forecasts of greenhouse gas emissions are critical for the improvement of global models that predict changes to temperature and sea level.”

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Tower rebuilding complete, South Illinois re-opened overnight

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The replacement of a large high-voltage transmission tower was completed Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021, and South Illinois Avenue re-opened to traffic at about midnight. (Photo courtesy Tennessee Valley Authority)

The rebuilding of a large high-voltage transmission tower in Oak Ridge was completed Sunday, and South Illinois Avenue re-opened to traffic at about midnight.

The 155-foot steel lattice tower that had to be replaced was knocked over when a pickup truck crashed into it at about 4:15 p.m. Friday. The tower, which is at Union Valley Road, carries high-voltage Tennessee Valley Authority transmission lines and city transmission and distribution lines.

The four-lane road, the main connection between Oak Ridge and Knox County, was closed for about two days after the crash while crews removed and replaced the damaged transmission tower.

TVA said the crash also caused damage to three smaller structures, and they were repaired.

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