Oak Ridge Today

Two weeks left to respond to 2020 Census

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Time is winding down for the City of Oak Ridge to get as close to a complete census count as possible. As of September 11, 72.2 percent of households in the city had responded online, by mail, or phone, a press release said.

“With an estimated population of 30,000, this means only about 21,000 of our residents have been counted,” the press release said.

Census takers are still working their way through the community with the goal of boosting that response rate and getting it as close to 100 percent as possible, the release said.

“That doesn’t mean that you can’t still self-respond now,” it said.

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City hires new personnel director

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Janice Harris

The City of Oak Ridge has selected Janice Harris as its new personnel director.

Harris, a retired Air Force master sergeant, was among 68 applicants. Five people were selected to advance to a final round before she was ultimately chosen for the role, a press release said.

“She is no stranger to the City of Oak Ridge, and she’s excited to get started,” the press release said. She has lived in the city since 2018.

“I’m excited for everything—just being able to work for the city,” Harris said in the press release. “Even though we’ve been living here for two years, I’ll get to see the city through a different set of eyes now.”

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Updated: Crews repairing water main break

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Oak Ridge crews are repairing a water main break at the corner of Rutgers Avenue and Oak Ridge Turnpike, the city said Thursday afternoon, Aug. 13, 2020. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

Note: This story was updated at 12 p.m. Aug. 16.

Oak Ridge crews repaired a water main break at the corner of Rutgers Avenue and Oak Ridge Turnpike, the city said last week.

Just before 5 p.m. Thursday, the city said Oak Ridge Public Works crews were shutting valves to isolate the break. Crews could be repairing the main for the next several hours, the city said. Water was cut off for the Jimmy Johns and Home Federal Bank on the Oak Ridge Turnpike.

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Oak Ridge has mask policy for city employees

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The City of Oak Ridge has a mask policy for municipal employees.

Here is what the city said last month:

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson issued an administrative memo on June 29. It detailed a policy that requires city employees to wear masks or other face coverings when close to the public.

Inside of all municipal buildings, employees should conduct temperature checks and health questioning before they admit any resident to city-secured work areas. City employees will also be required to wear masks inside of any buildings when performing official city duties and interacting with the general public.

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Dodson running for second term on City Council

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Jim Dodson

Oak Ridge City Council member Jim Dodson is running for a second four-year term in the November 3 municipal election.

Dodson has been a teacher in Oak Ridge Schools for 33 years.

He was elected to City Council in November 2016, and he serves as the Council representative on the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission and Youth Advisory Board.

In a press release, Dodson said he has a strong record of community service and leadership on several civic boards, organizations, and commissions.

“I will definitely work alongside my Oak Ridge and East Tennessee neighbors for a better quality of life in our community,” Dodson said. “I hope to continue giving our residents a voice on City Council and promoting excellent educational opportunities for all our kids and young adults.

“I will also continue to help recruit businesses and families to Oak Ridge as the place to relocate. I look forward to working as an Oak Ridge City Council member to maintain and improve all city services while providing safe and thriving neighborhoods.”

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Oak Ridge not authorized to require masks

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The City of Oak Ridge does not have the authority to require face masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, officials said Wednesday.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County, which includes Oak Ridge, has increased significantly this month. The county had 178 total cases on Thursday—a 70 percent increase since July 2—and the number of active cases more than doubled in eight days.

As the number of cases has surged in the region, people have set up social media groups where members have reported on mask use at local businesses and offices and called for mandatory masks, including in Oak Ridge and its schools.

On Wednesday, the city said it is prohibited from enacting or enforcing a mask requirement because of a Tennessee attorney general opinion issued in April and an executive order from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee in May. (The attorney general’s opinion is Opinion Number 20-07, and the executive order is Executive Order Number 38.)

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Photos: Old AMSE building being demolished

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The former American Museum of Science and Energy building on South Tulane Avenue is being demolished, and apartments are planned on the site. (Photo courtesy Mike Mahathy)

The former American Museum of Science and Energy building is being demolished, and apartments are planned on the site.

The apartment project is expected to include seven three-story buildings with 226 apartment units on 10 acres.

Now called Main Street Lofts, the $32 million apartment project has included an agreement to reduce property taxes and the transfer of what had been federal property from the U.S. Department of Energy to the city and then to TN Oak Ridge Illinois, a company affiliated with RealtyLink, the developer of Main Street Oak Ridge.

The apartments are being built as RealtyLink, a South Carolina company, plans to build more new stores across South Tulane Avenue at Main Street Oak Ridge, the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall.

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Watson to present proposed budget Monday

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Mark Watson

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson is scheduled to present the municipal budget proposed for the next fiscal year during a City Council meeting on Monday.

The meeting will start at 7 p.m. in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom. You can see the agenda here.

The meeting will be in-person, rather than a virtual meeting, but city officials said they will use appropriate social distancing.

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Data center could be built on Summit, tax incentive to be considered

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This building of about 30,000 square feet on Pine Ridge, also known as The Summit, was once used to store documents for the Y-12 National Security Complex. It could now be used for a data center. The Summit is on Pine Ridge along South Illinois Avenue between Scarboro Road/Lafayette Drive and Centrifuge Way. It’s pictured above on Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2018. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A data center could be built in an existing building on Pine Ridge, also known as The Summit, off South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

The project has been proposed by GIGA Data Centers of Atlanta.

The data center would be in the building on The Summit that was once used by the Y-12 National Security Complex to store documents. The building, which is about 30,000 square feet, would be retrofitted.

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Outdoor pool to open June 15 with changes

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Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

The City of Oak Ridge will open its outdoor pool for the season starting June 15, which is later than normal, with changes due to COVID-19.

The pool normally has swimming hours Memorial Day weekend, and then opens for the season around the first of June.

This year, the main outdoor pool on Providence Road will be open, but the little pool for children will remain closed for the summer, the city said in a press release Friday. The indoor pool at the Oak Ridge Civic Center will remain closed through the summer.

A maximum of 200 people will be allowed in the pool area at one time, and reservations can be made online through Eventbrite. Families will be spaced apart. Restrooms will be open, but the showers and dressing rooms will not be. The picnic table area will be closed, and no public or private pool parties will be allowed. Swimming lessons are canceled for now.

In the press release, the city said the pool water is being treated with chlorine, a disinfectant that “wipes out” the virus. The main focus will be following social distancing and repeatedly sanitizing commonly used areas, the press release said.

Here are the changes that will be in effect:

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Oak Ridge plans a downtown; chalk art on Saturday will promote it

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A view looking south onto West Main Street into a proposed area of restaurants and shops surrounding a landscaped courtyard off Wilson Street. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

A chalk art event on Saturday will promote a proposal to build a downtown area that could include apartments and condominiums, restaurants and stores, and green space and an outdoor performance space at Wilson Street on the north side of Main Street Oak Ridge.

The chalk art event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 23. It will feature 15 professional artists, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.

It’s called “Paint the Town with Chalk,” and it will help people visualize what the downtown area could be like, the press release said.

Oak Ridge was built to help make the world’s first atomic bombs as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II, and officials say the city was built without a distinct downtown for national security reasons. Now, they are trying to change that.

The goal is to transform the Wilson Street area into the city’s new downtown, according to a presentation last fall by Oak Ridge Community Development Director Wayne Blasius.

The downtown area could include:

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Oak Ridge Public Library begins curbside pickup

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

The Oak Ridge Public Library started curbside pickup of library materials on Monday, May 18. The library will have its roof replaced this summer, and there is no re-opening date yet.

Here’s how the curbside pickup works:

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