Oak Ridge Today

Current status of city facilities due to COVID

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Oak Ridge officials continue to ask residents to conduct municipal business over the phone and by phone when possible because of COVID-19.

On Wednesday, the City of Oak Ridge released an update about city facilities as the world continues to be affected by the pandemic.

The city said it is supporting the Tennessee Pledge of the state government. You can refer to State of Tennessee websites for updates and advice on precautions to be taken by particular businesses, a press release said.

City facilities will continue to be operated as below as precautions and security matters are considered for the safety of employees, and social distancing for customers, the press release said. Visitors may receive a temperature scan and be asked about their current health, the press release said. You can call the city manager’s office or department offices on the city’s website for more information.

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Rep. Fleischmann tests positive for COVID

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Chuck Fleischmann

U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican whose district includes Oak Ridge, has tested positive for COVID-19.

Fleischmann announced his positive diagnosis on Sunday.

Chuck Fleischmann

U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican whose district includes Oak Ridge, has tested positive for COVID-19.

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Mason, an IDB member, community volunteer, dies of COVID complications

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David Mason

David Lane Mason, a member of the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board and community volunteer, died of COVID-19 complications on Monday. He was 79.

Mason was a former deputy director of environmental management and enrichment facilities at the former K-25 site, and he retired from the United States Enrichment Corporation in 2005 as the director of Centrifuge Engineering and Manufacturing Project, according to his obituary.

As a founding member of the Oak Ridge Rowing Association, Mason helped develop and build the rowing course at Melton Hill Lake, his obituary said. As a member of the Sunset Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, he helped establish the annual Da Vinci Arts and Science Fair for elementary and middle school students, the obituary said.

A nuclear physicist and Oak Ridge resident, Mason died at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville on Monday. He was a community advocate for more than 50 years, his obituary said.

Here is more information about Dave Mason from his obituary:

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Tammy Dunn appointed Oak Ridge city attorney

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Tammy Dunn

The City of Oak Ridge has appointed Senior Staff Attorney Tammy Dunn as the next city attorney.

Dunn assumes her new position this week, when current City Attorney Kenneth Krushenski retires, a press release said. Dunn, a native Oak Ridger, has been with the city’s Legal Department for more than 20 years, beginning when she was still in law school, the press release said.

“Technically, I worked for the city even earlier than that,” Dunn said in the press release. “I worked at the Oak Ridge Public Library Children’s Room during my break between undergrad and law school.”

She worked as a law clerk in the Legal Department for two years before stepping in as acting staff attorney for six months before officially transitioning to staff attorney, a role she filled for two more years, the press release said.

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Oak Ridge Council to meet online Monday

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The Oak Ridge City Council will meet electronically on Monday, rather than in-person, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The meeting is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Monday.

Council members will be able to participate by video and audio conferencing. It will be streamed online on the city’s website and broadcast on Comcast Channel 12.

The city asked residents to watch the meeting online or on television because of Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s executive orders that limit public gatherings to help prevent the further spread of COVID-19.

“Meeting electronically and limiting in-person access to the meeting is necessary to protect the public health, safety, and welfare in light of COVID-19,” the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.

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Solomon named Oak Ridge fire chief

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Travis Solomon (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The City of Oak Ridge has named Travis Solomon as its new fire chief.

Solomon, who previously served as Oak Ridge Fire Department fire marshal, has served as interim fire chief since former Chief Darryl Kerley’s departure in August. Solomon begins serving as fire chief immediately, a press release said.

“Oak Ridge has always been the model and leading fire service,” Solomon said in the press release. “I want to continue that and enhance the services we provide to better our ability to serve the public.”

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Library returning to curbside service due to COVID spike

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Oak Ridge Public Library
The Oak Ridge Public Library is pictured above.

The Oak Ridge Public Library will close to the public and return to curbside pickup only after the Thanksgiving holiday due to the dramatic increase in local COVID-19 cases, a press release said.

Curbside hours are Monday through Saturday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Starting Monday, November 30, library users can place holds on books, movies, music, and audiobooks through the library’s catalog at http://orpl.ent.sirsi.net/. Patrons will be notified when their items are ready to be picked up. Look for the reserved parking spaces in the library’s parking lot, call the number on the sign, and library staff will bring your items to your car. If you need help finding items to read, watch, or listen to, you can call (865) 425-3455 for assistance placing holds.

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City: Watson feeling better, reported mild COVID symptoms

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Mark Watson

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson is feeling better, and his COVID-19 symptoms remained mild all week, a spokesperson said Friday.

Watson learned a week ago that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

The city manager worked remotely this past week, Oak Ridge spokesperson Lauren Gray said. He will continue to work from home at the beginning of next week and will be off for the Thanksgiving holiday at the end of the week.

The city has urged residents to use caution during the holiday season as the positivity rate remains high; wastewater testing shows the disease is present across the city; and new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths grow to record-setting levels in Anderson County, Tennessee, and the United States.

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City manager tests positive for COVID-19

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Mark Watson

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson learned on Friday that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

The positive result came after a test on Saturday, City of Oak Ridge spokesperson Lauren Gray said.

She said Watson has mild symptoms and no fever; he is just tired.

It’s unclear when and where he was exposed to the virus.

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City alarmed by 12.5 percent COVID positivity rate

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A daily snapshot of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, includes, among other information, the daily number of new cases and the daily positivity rate. (Graphic by Tennessee Department of Health)

In a press release Thursday, the City of Oak Ridge said it is alarmed by the 12.5 percent positivity rate for COVID-19 in the Oak Ridge area, and wastewater testing shows the disease is present across the city.

The positivity rate measures the percentage of tests that return positive results out of the new tests each day. A 12.5 percent positivity rate means that 12.5 tests are positive out of each 100 new tests, on average.

A 12.5 percent positivity rate is high. World Health Organization guidelines call for a positivity rate below 5 percent for 14 days before activities re-open.

In its press release, the city said the 12.5 percent positivity rate in the Oak Ridge area was measured earlier this week and was obtained from zip-code specific data from the Tennessee Department of Health.

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Council asked to urge COVID precautions; 14 city employees have tested positive

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Fourteen city employees have had COVID-19 and 32 people have had to quarantine due to potential exposure since the pandemic began in March, and the Oak Ridge City Council will consider a resolution this evening that asks people to wear a mask, wash their hands frequently, avoid crowds, and maintain a distance from people outside their household.

All of the infected municipal employees have recovered, the City of Oak Ridge said in a brief statement in response to questions on Monday. The positive test results have been since March. It wasn’t immediately clear if the infections have been spaced out over time or if they have been clustered in any months.

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson has recommended the precautions, according to a resolution that City Council will consider during a regular meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, November 9.

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Updated: Dodson, Hammond, Hope re-elected to City Council

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Jim Dodson

Note: This story was last updated at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 8.

Oak Ridge City Council members Jim Dodson, Derrick Hammond, and Chuck Hope were re-elected Tuesday.

They had one challenger, Edward Jackson Jr.

Oak Ridge Board of Education members Angi Agle and Keys Fillauer were also re-elected.

In the City Council election, Dodson received the most votes, 8,253, in Anderson County. He received the second-most votes in Roane County, 1,499. He had a total of 9,752 votes in the two counties, giving him the most total votes of any candidate and 852 more than the second-place finisher.

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