Oak Ridge Today

McNally, the new lieutenant governor, to discuss growing up in Oak Ridge, public service

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Randy McNally

Randy McNally (Submitted photo)

 

Tennessee Senator Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican who is now lieutenant governor and speaker of the Senate, will discuss public service and growing up in Oak Ridge during a meeting this evening (Thursday, January 12).

McNally’s talk will be at a 7 p.m. meeting of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association in the Midtown Community Center at 102 Robertsville Road.

McNally, a legislative leader for nearly 40 years, became lieutenant governor and speaker of the Senate on Tuesday on the first organizational day of the 110th General Assembly. He is only the second Republican Tennessee Senate Speaker in modern history and the first from Anderson County in nearly 150 years. [Read more…]

Council approves $120,000 for city-owned golf course

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Centennial Golf Course Dec 10, 2015

The Tennessee Centennial Golf Course is pictured above in Oak Ridge on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council agreed in a 5-2 vote on Monday to provide $120,000 to continue operating the Tennessee Centennial Golf Course, which the city owns in east Oak Ridge off Edgemoor Road.

The request this year was smaller than it was in 2015, when Council approved a $325,000 transfer, but the golf course is still short of money needed to operate, despite all marketing efforts, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson told City Council members in a memo before Monday’s meeting.

Most of the $120,000 in funding—or $70,024 of it—will be used for accounts payable. The rest will be used for cash flow and salaries, Watson said.

“The slow winter season now requires funding to pay necessary costs and salaries through the winter quarter (January-March 2017),” Watson said. [Read more…]

Westcott’s 95th birthday will be celebrated Jan. 21

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Ed Westcott

Ed Westcott is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

The family of Ed Westcott, the official government photographer in Oak Ridge during World War II, is inviting the community to celebrate his 95th birthday on Saturday, January 21.

The birthday celebration is at 2 p.m. January 21 in the Wildcat Den at Midtown Community Center at 102 Robertsville Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Westcott was the only authorized photographer in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal project to build the world’s first atomic bombs—before Germany could. Oak Ridge was a production site for the Manhattan Project, and the city, which was then known as Clinton Engineer Works, enriched uranium for the first atomic bomb used in wartime. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge seeks community input for new ‘city blueprint’

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city-blueprint-kickoff-flyer

With your help, Oak Ridge officials want to develop a long-range development plan, or “city blueprint.”

There will be a kickoff meeting for the project on Thursday, January 26, at High Places Community Church in Grove Center.

“The last year has been an exciting period in Oak Ridge,” a press release said. “New commercial buildings are being constructed in the city center, improvements in our parks and trails are on the horizon, and the National Historic Park is beginning to take shape. The Oak Ridge Planning Commission—with input from other boards, commissions, and city leaders—has decided that it is time to begin crafting an updated long-range development plan, or ‘City Blueprint,’ which would provide guidance in future growth and decisions. During the creation of this guiding document, it will be vital to receive input on its focus and content from the people of Oak Ridge.” [Read more…]

Norris accepting applications for city manager

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Information from WYSH Radio

The City of Norris is now accepting applications for the position of city manager. Norris is a city of 1,600 people, and it has a total work force of 24 employees, with an annual budget of more than $1 million.

The city manager carries out the policies approved by the City Council.

The city manager is the administrative head of the city and supervises heads of the Public Works, Public Safety (police and fire), and office staff. The city manager also administers the city’s personnel system, employs, maintains, and terminates city employees in accordance with applicable federal, state, and city legislative and procedural provisions. And the city manager serves as secretary-treasurer to the Norris Water Commission. [Read more…]

McNally elected lieutenant governor, speaker of the Senate

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Randy McNally

Randy McNally (Submitted photo)

 

The Tennessee Senate on Tuesday elected Senator Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican, as Tennessee’s 87th speaker of the Senate. In Tennessee, the speaker of the Senate is also lieutenant governor.

McNally is only the second Republican Tennessee Senate Speaker in modern history and the first from Anderson County in nearly 150 years.

The Senate’s 33 senators met at noon Tuesday, the first organizational day of the 110th General Assembly, to elect their speaker.

McNally spoke to his colleagues and Tennessee residents after his election.

“I am truly humbled at the trust you have placed in me,” McNally said. “Over the last 10 years, our Tennessee Senate has developed a strong reputation as an efficient and fiscally responsible legislative body. It is a well-earned reputation that I plan to build on.” [Read more…]

Children’s Museum closed due to snow, city centers opened at noon

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The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge is closed today (Saturday, January 7) due to the weather. The Amateur Radio Kids Day scheduled for this afternoon is canceled.

The museum will call those who had birthday parties scheduled for today to reschedule.

“The safety of our visitors and staff are important to us,” the Children’s Museum said.

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson delayed the opening of the Civic Center, Scarboro Center, and Senior Center until noon. The library also opened at noon.

Weather cancellations, closings at schools, sporting events

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Snow was falling in Oak Ridge at noon Friday, and more was expected through Saturday morning. Schools and government offices have announced closures and early dismissals, and sporting events have been canceled.

Oak Ridge Schools said it has staff closely monitoring the weather and the roads. If a decision is made to dismiss early, a notification will be posted on Twitter and through Skylert.

The Oak Ridge-Halls basketball games scheduled for Friday night at Wildcat Arena have been canceled and rescheduled for Monday, January 23. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Senior Center moving to Civic Center this month

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Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

 

The Oak Ridge Senior Center will move to the Oak Ridge Civic Center this month, officials said Thursday.

The Senior Center will be open at its current site on Emory Valley Road through Saturday, January 21, the City of Oak Ridge said in a Thursday press release.

The Senior Center will move to the Civic Center Recreation Building during the week of January 23 to January 28, and it will be closed to the public. [Read more…]

City Council to consider $120,000 for golf course

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Centennial Golf Course Dec 10, 2015

The Tennessee Centennial Golf Course is pictured above in east Oak Ridge on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider approving $120,000 to continue operating the Tennessee Centennial Golf Course in east Oak Ridge off Edgemoor Road.

The request comes about one year after Council approved, in a 6-1 vote, a $325,000 transfer for operations at the golf course. About $225,000 of that transfer, a cash infusion, was for outstanding accounts payable, including for expenses that included clothing in the pro shop, a management fee, fertilizer, and irrigation costs. Another $100,000 was operational funding for the winter, including maintenance of the greens.

The request is smaller this year, but the golf course is still short of money needed to operate, despite all marketing efforts, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said in a Wednesday memo to City Council members.

“The slow winter season now requires funding to pay necessary costs and salaries through the winter quarter (January-March 2017),” Watson said.

Most of the $120,000 in funding—or $70,024 of it—would be used for accounts payable. The rest would be used for cash flow and salaries, Watson said. [Read more…]

City Council to consider elections, appointments to 23 boards, commissions

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oak-ridge-city-council-december-2016

The Oak Ridge City Council is pictured above in December 2016. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council will consider elections and appointments to 23 boards and commissions during its Monday night meeting.

The boards and commissions include the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Industrial Development Board, Land Bank Corporation, and Beer Permit Board, among others.

The Monday meeting starts at 7 p.m. January 9 in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom at 200 South Tulane Avenue. You can see the agenda here. See information about the elections and appointments here.

Senior Advisory Board to continue discussing move to Civic Center

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The Oak Ridge Senior Advisory Board on Monday is scheduled to continue discussing the move of the Oak Ridge Senior Center to the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

The meeting starts at 9:30 a.m. Monday, January 9, in Room 54 of the Senior Center, which is at 728 Emory Valley Road.

See previous story here.