Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge playgrounds closed to help prevent spread of COVID-19

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The City of Oak Ridge announced Monday, March 30, 2020, that playgrounds will be closed to help prevent the potential spread of COVID-19. Pictured above is the playground in Alvin K. Bissell Park. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The City of Oak Ridge announced Monday that playgrounds will be closed to help prevent the potential spread of COVID-19.

Trails, greenways, and parks including tennis courts, basketball courts for passive use (active games aren’t allowed), and Blankenship Field and track remain open for now for walking and jogging, the city said.

Other facilities are under review for possible closure, the city said.

“The public health situation is rapidly changing, here are the latest updates affecting city facilities,” the city said in an updated from Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson.

The city said financial transactions can be handled electronically and by mail. If you need to meet someone, you can call the department’s extension directly. Phone numbers are listed under each department below.

For the latest information on Oak Ridge Schools, click here.

MUNICIPAL BUILDING (Updated 3/20/20)

[Read more…]

Council declares emergency, suspends utility disconnects

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Note: This story was last updated at 3:43 p.m.

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday declared a local emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and agreed to suspend the disconnection of utilities for non-payments for up to 90 days.

The Council also agreed to let the Oak Ridge Electric Department work with ADFAC, a nonprofit organization, to supply $100,000 worth of utility aid to help residential customers. Customers would have to demonstrate that they were either laid off or had their work hours significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The temporary utility policy applies to electricity, water, sewer, and garbage service. The city is not providing the services for free, so bills will continue to accrue even if they’re not being paid. Oak Ridge Electric Director Jack Suggs said the city will work with customers to make payments once life returns to normal.

“We expect this is going to be very hard on people,” Suggs told the Oak Ridge City Council during a 90-minute special meeting at noon Monday.

In a Thursday memo, Suggs said the nationwide measures taken so far to reduce the spread of COVID-19 have dramatically affected many people in Oak Ridge.

“Hotel occupancy has plummeted to historically low levels while restaurants and entertainment venues have closed or reduced hours and services,” Suggs said. “As a result, many of these enterprises are struggling to meet their financial obligations. Many employees in these industries have been laid off or had their working hours slashed to levels where they are financially unable to meet their basic financial obligations.”

Complicating the situation: Schools have closed, meaning children are at home, sometimes by themselves, and social service agencies have closed.

Suggs said most utilities in the area have suspended disconnects for non-payment for now.

“This is done in recognition that persons who are confined at home, and especially those with children, require utilities for their continued health and welfare. This is an issue not only for the individual, but also for the community at large. The same thing can be said about the shutdown of commercial or industrial accounts. While the loss of one business is a tragedy, the loss of several accounts is a community disaster.”

[Read more…]

City Hall, Library, Rec Center closing

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Municipal Building will be closed starting Monday, and the Public Library and Recreation Center will close Saturday evening (tomorrow, March 21). Those were among the changes announced Friday by Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here is the latest update, which includes changes from an announcement earlier this week. The public health situation can change rapidly, so any of the following conditions could change.

MUNICIPAL BUILDING

[Read more…]

Changes in access to city facilities, services in response to COVID-19

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge municipal services and access to facilities have been affected by the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. All board and commission meetings have been canceled for now. The Oak Ridge Public Library, Civic Center, and Recreation Center remain open for now, but there have been some changes. The Animal Shelter is temporarily closed to the public.

The public health situation can change rapidly, so any of the following conditions could change.

MUNICIPAL BUILDING

[Read more…]

Oak Ridge Senior Center, City Court closing; egg hunt canceled

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Senior Center will close today (Monday, March 16) due to COVID-19, and the City Court will be closed until Tuesday, March 31. The egg hunt scheduled for Saturday, April 4, will be canceled.

The Oak Ridge Recreation Center and Scarboro Community Center remain open for now, but Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said precautions are being taken to limit the risk of exposure.

“The public health situation is rapidly changing, here are the latest updates affecting city facilities,” Watson said in a message Friday:

[Read more…]

Friends of Oak Ridge Library has book sale this weekend

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Friends of the Oak Ridge Public Library has a book sale this weekend.

The Winter 2020 Book Sale is from Thursday evening, March 5, to Sunday, March 8. It is in the Library Auditorium.

Besides books, jigsaw puzzles, music compact discs, and other items will also be available, a press release said. Most titles will still be 50 cents or $1 each, the press release said. Withdrawn library titles will be half price Thursday through Saturday.
 
There was a members-only sale Thursday evening.

[Read more…]

Updated: City prepares for coronavirus as first case reported in Tennessee

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Note: This story was last updated at 5:45 p.m.

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson on Tuesday outlined preparations in the city for a potential coronavirus outbreak. Two days later, on Thursday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee reported that the first case of coronavirus, which has spread across the globe, has been confirmed in the state.

In Oak Ridge, Watson said, there is initial public safety planning to identify local efforts to protect residents, and local officials are communicating with schools and hospitals. The Anderson County Department of Health and Tennessee Department of Health are in frequent contact with the city, Watson said.

Procedures that are in place under the city’s emergency operations manuals are being adapted to account for the effects of viruses such as the coronavirus, and protocols and procedures are being established for city employees who will be in contact with potential infections, Watson said.

[Read more…]

City manager Watson to discuss ‘state of city’ on Tuesday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Mark Watson

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson will present his annual “State of the City” during Lunch with the League on Tuesday.

The meeting will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 3, in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Watson has served as Oak Ridge city manager since August 2010. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public administration and city management from the University of Kansas. In 2019, he received his doctorate degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

[Read more…]

For members: Chinns part of apartment project on former AMSE site

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

AMSE-Site-Feb-11-2020
The former American Museum of Science and Energy is pictured above on South Tulane Avenue on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 10 p.m.

Oak Ridge Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn and his brother Ryan are minority partners in the project to build apartments at the former American Museum of Science and Energy site.

 
AMSE-Site-Feb-11-2020

The former American Museum of Science and Energy is pictured above on South Tulane Avenue on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn and his brother Ryan are minority partners in the project to build apartments at the former American Museum of Science and Energy site.

Rick Chinn, a developer, said this month that the project will bring much-needed apartments to the city, allowing more people who work in Oak Ridge to live here. The apartments are being built as RealtyLink, a South Carolina developer, plans to build more new stores across South Tulane Avenue at Main Street Oak Ridge, the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall.

Now called Main Street Lofts, the 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 a developer. It will include the demolition of the former AMSE building. It is expected to include seven three-story buildings with 226 apartment units on 10 acres.

Rick Chinn and his father, Richard Chinn, a member of the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, have been abstaining from votes related to the apartment project for at least a year.

They have not been required to explain their abstentions, but Oak Ridge Today has asked Rick and Richard Chinn why they have been abstaining.

The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: an advertiser, sponsor, or subscriber 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

Learn about our advanced subscription options here.

Note: Most news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, sponsors, and subscribers. Some are considered premium content. This story is premium content. Premium content can include in-depth, investigative, and exclusive stories. These stories generally take more than four hours to report, write, and publish.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today!

Guidebook highlights Oak Ridge’s natural assets

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Natural Assets Guidebook
Image by Legacy Parks Foundation

A new guidebook highlights Oak Ridge’s natural assets.

The “Oak Ridge Natural Assets Guidebook” by Legacy Parks Foundation is a collaborative project created at the request of the City of Oak Ridge, Roane County, and Anderson County civic and business leaders, a press release said. It’s in response to recommendations from the Oak Ridge Blueprint Plan that urged the exploration of both recreational opportunities and enhancement of the area’s natural assets.

“The Guidebook is intended to be a living, working document that will serve as a philosophical and practical set of guidelines for how to maximize the area’s natural assets so that they provide a sustainable foundation to engage residents, promote wellness, attract tourism, and increase economic development,” said Carol Evans, executive director of Legacy Parks Foundation.

The Guidebook identifies natural assets and related opportunities on public land in Oak Ridge, including U.S. Department of Energy land, but it does not consider future uses of that land for mission-related or growth purposes, Evans said.

[Read more…]

Council interested in proposed test, motorsports track

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Horizon-Center-Motorsports-Track-Site-1-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. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge City Council is interested in a proposed test track and research facility or motorsports park at Horizon Center.

The seven City Council members unanimously expressed interest in the proposed project, which could cost more than $50 million and cover more than 300 acres, during a Monday night meeting. The proposal is still in the early conceptual stage, and Council doesn’t have a specific plan to consider or endorse yet.

There are significant questions about the unusual project, which would be in west Oak Ridge, a few miles northeast of the former K-25 site. They include the questions of whether some potential uses such as a hotel would be allowed by the deed restrictions at the site, whether motorsports would be allowed under the industrial zoning, and whether a recreational vehicle park and outdoor music would be appropriate there.

Oak Ridge City Council member Ellen Smith said there are legal constraints on the property. Certain kinds of uses are allowed, and some, such as homes and hotels, are not, Smith said. She said the U.S. Department of Energy was hoping to foster industrial development on the former federal property.

It’s not clear what position DOE might take on the proposed use, and it’s not clear whether the site would be a test track and research facility for non-spectators, a motorsports park for spectators, or a combination of the two.

[Read more…]

Utilities Business Office returning to Municipal Building

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Utilities Business Office Exterior
Oak Ridge Utilities Business Office (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Utilities Business Office will return to the Municipal Building following the completion of renovations. The Utilities Business Office, or UBO, will reopen in its updated space on Monday, February 10, the Oak Ridge Electric Department said.

UBO operations were moved to the nearby Oak Ridge Civic Center for about four months while renovations were under way. The changes were needed to increase efficiency and safety, the Electric Department said.

Customers routinely handle utility and property tax concerns at the UBO, including signing up for new accounts, terminating services, and making payments, the press release said. Utility and tax bills are also generated in this office.

[Read more…]