Oak Ridge Today

Planning Commission to consider rezoning for nuclear fuel fabrication

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The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission on Thursday, July 21, 2022, will consider rezoning 110 acres at Horizon Center for a nuclear fuel fabrication company. (Image by City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission on Thursday will consider rezoning 110 acres at Horizon Center for a nuclear fuel fabrication company.

The property (Lot 6a) has been purchased from the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board by TRISO-X LLC, a nuclear fuel company that announced expansion plans in Oak Ridge in April 2022, the city staff said. The company said it hopes to bring hundreds of highly skilled, high-paying jobs to the Oak Ridge area and further “Oak Ridge’s well-earned reputation as the center of U.S. nuclear innovation and excellence.”

Repairs planned for gravel section of Tuskegee Road

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The Oak Ridge Public Works Department will conduct road repairs to the gravel section of Tuskegee Road from Tuesday, July 19 to Friday, July 22, weather permitting, a press release said.

The work will require sections of the road to be closed for the day beginning at 8 a.m. and ending at 3 p.m.

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Update on downtown Oak Ridge Tuesday

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Wayne Blasius

A city official will give an update on the proposed development of downtown Oak Ridge during a lunchtime meeting Tuesday.

The presentation will be led by Wayne Blasius, director of the Oak Ridge Planning and Development Department. The online Lunch with the League meeting has been organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, and it is scheduled from 12 to 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 15.

“Because of its unique development as a community to support the Manhattan Project (during World War II), the City of Oak Ridge lacked a central downtown,” a press release said. “In the fall of 2019, the city prepared a vision for a new city center, which included zoning changes, property acquisition, and soliciting development. With zoning changes and property acquisition in place, on August 6, 2021, the Oak Ridge Land Bank held its ‘Toast the Town’ event to hear the formal announcement of the call for development. Two excellent proposals were received in response to the (request for proposals) and will be considered for approval by the Land Bank Board at their business meeting, March 15, 5:30 pm (location to be announced). Interested community members are encouraged to attend.”

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TVA has virtual open house for Clinch River Nuclear Site

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Clinch-River-Site-Bear-Creek-Road-Entrance-March-27-2016
The small nuclear reactors that could be built along the Clinch River could provide enough electricity to power several cities the size of Oak Ridge. The Bear Creek Road entrance to the Clinch River Site, where the reactors could be built by the Tennessee Valley Authority, is pictured above on Sunday, March 27, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Tennessee Valley Authority will have a virtual open house for the Clinch River Nuclear Site in west Oak Ridge this evening (Thursday, March 10).

The open house follows the release of a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the 935-acre site in the Roane County portion of Oak Ridge, south of Heritage Center (the former K-25 site) near the Clinch River.

The draft EIS assesses the potential environmental effects associated with possibly having nuclear reactors at the site, a press release said.

“The proposed facility aligns with TVA’s 2050 target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions and drive to a carbon-free future,” the press release said.

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Oak Ridge names first honorary poet laureate

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Erin Elizabeth Smith

The City of Oak Ridge has named Erin Elizabeth Smith as its first honorary poet laureate. Smith will serve in this role for a two-year period, a press release said.

“In this role, she will inspire and promote literacy and literature to the residents of the city at things like cultural events and city celebrations,” the press release said. “With Oak Ridge being a unique community as the first and primary Manhattan Project site, it places a high value on literacy as foundation to our other values of education, science, technology, and environmental stewardship.”

In the fall of 2021, Oak Ridge City Council was approached about the concept of establishing the honorary position of poet laureate for the city. City Council was in concurrence, the Oak Ridge Poet Laureate Committee was created, and a nomination and selection process took place, the press release said.

Smith was selected after a detailed review of three nominees and was formally designated to the role at the February 14 City Council meeting.

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Breakfast with Legislators on Feb. 28

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The first Breakfast with the Legislators this year is scheduled for Monday morning, February 28.

The breakfast will be virtual, and it scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. It has been organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge.

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Tax assistance center opens Feb. 8

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The Oak Ridge Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Center will open on Tuesday.

The VITA program is an Internal Revenue Service initiative to help taxpayers by providing trained volunteers to prepare and electronically file individual tax returns at no cost to the taxpayers, a press release said.

Oak Ridge VITA program will again be housed at the United Way Offices at 728 Emory Valley Road in Oak Ridge. Hours are from 1:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays. The office is staffed entirely by IRS certified volunteers-preparers, greeters, and computer experts. United Way of Anderson County provides funds for software and provides office space, the press release said.

COVID-19 protocols were instituted for the 2020 and 2021 tax seasons and will be in place again this year. VITA tax preparers will not meet in person with taxpayers, but they will prepare taxes and communicate by telephone with taxpayers as needed, the press release said. Taxpayers will need to bring their materials to the United Way office, where greeters will help assure that all materials needed are included.

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Oak Ridge Healthy Waters Program hosting Ijams River Rescue

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The Oak Ridge Stormwater Division and Healthy Waters Program will host a volunteer cleanup on Melton Hill Lake in March. It’s the 33rd Annual Ijams River Rescue, which is a volunteer cleanup event hosted by Ijams Nature Center.

The cleanup is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 12.

“Volunteers are encouraged to come out to the Boat Ramp at 173 Edgemoor Road near Haw Ridge Park to keep Melton Hill Lake beautiful,” a press release said.

There is trash in the water and along the banks in the area, which sees high foot traffic and many wildlife sightings as well as litter from vehicles traveling on Edgemoor Road, the press release said.

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Hike with park ranger, learn history

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You can hike with a park ranger and learn about history on Cedar Hill Greenway this month.

“Grab your boots and jacket to join us on a hike through the Secret City,” a press release said. “Manhattan Project National Historical Park will be hosting a hike with a ranger along the Cedar Hill Greenway in Oak
Ridge.”

The hike will start at 10 a.m. Saturday, February 26. The 2.5-mile moderate hike will begin at Cedar Hill Park, the former location of Cedar Hill Elementary School.

“Park rangers will be discussing the early school system of Oak Ridge as well as the shopping centers and housing in the Clinton Engineer Works,” the press release said.

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Submit comments about county parks plan

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Anderson County government is asking residents to comment about the future of parks and recreation in the county.

The county is using a citizen survey to inform a comprehensive parks and recreation master plan, a press release said. The last day to submit your input online is February 26. You can complete the survey at https://losedesign.mysocialpinpoint.com/andersonco_tn_parks_and_rec.

“I’m really hoping that citizens can go online and answer a few questions about what they feel about parks—whether that’s a trail out in the county, or a tennis court inside a city,” Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank said in the press release. “Anderson County is working on a Comprehensive Parks Plan that looks up to 10 years into the future. Anymore, to apply for most grants, having a written plan is a requirement. Such a look at our existing assets and surveying your thoughts about future needs helps communicate to elected leaders how best to allocate limited resources. This plan will allow us to take advantage of numerous grant opportunities that can benefit our county and cities.”

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Updated: K-25 Viewing Platform will be built

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Artist rendering of the new Viewing Platform, which will be located next to the recently constructed K-25 History Center overlooking the footprint of the K-25 Building. (Artist renderings by David Brown)

Note: This story was updated at 9 a.m. Feb. 4.

Two federal agencies have agreed to build a K-25 Viewing Platform at the historic site in west Oak Ridge that was used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants during World War II and the Cold War. The design is expected to be complete in March and the building completed by the end of 2023.

The construction agreement for the viewing building at the former K-25 site was signed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The viewing platform will give visitors a view of the large 44-acre footprint of the former K-25 Building. K-25, which was the world’s largest building, was erected during World War II as part of the Manhattan Project to help enrich uranium for the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II. The K-25 Building was demolished in 2013, and many other structures at the site have been removed as the federal government turns over property for private development.

The K-25 Building site itself is now part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. That project commemorates the workers, equipment, and processes used during the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico.

The K-25 Viewing Platform and associated exhibits are the final components of a multi-project agreement that the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management signed in 2012, clearing the way for demolition of the North Tower of the mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building. The projects commemorate the history of the K-25 site, which has also been known as the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant.

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Barker seeking re-election as sheriff

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Russell Barker

Russell Barker is seeking a second term as sheriff of Anderson County in this year’s election.

Barker, a Republican, was first elected to a four-year term as sheriff in 2018 after serving as the director of the Seventh
Judicial District Crime Task Force in Anderson County.

In a press release, Barker said he has fulfilled his 2018 campaign promises of increasing the number of school resource officers, dedicating personnel to keep seniors safe, and implementing intelligence-led policing.

“I am very proud of what we have accomplished this first term,” Barker said in the press release. “I attribute the success we’ve had to the brave men and women I serve with every day. Together, we are making a great impact in Anderson County.”

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