Oak Ridge Today

Fleischmann, Belbeck, Pasqua receive Muddy Boot Awards

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Tennessee Senator and Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally, left, presents a Muddy Boot Award to U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican, at an East Tennessee Economic Council meeting on Friday, Dec. 9, 2016. (DOE photo by Lynn Freeny)

 

Businessmen Mike Belbeck and Mike Pasqua and U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann were honored Friday with Muddy Boot Awards. The awards from the East Tennessee Economic Council, or ETEC, pay tribute to people who, through their work and activities, build a better community.

Pasqua helped found and grow SAIC’s Oak Ridge offices and later led the transition to Leidos, a press release said. Belbeck is executive vice president for operations of Covenant Health and active in numerous organizations across the region, the release said.

Covenant Health’s Jan McNally, who recruited Belbeck to be her successor as administrator of Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, presented his award, and Sherry Browder, current chair of ETEC and a former colleague of Pasqua at SAIC, presented that Boot.

Fleischmann returned from Washington to receive his Muddy Boot Award, which was presented by incoming Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally, the press release said.

The Council’s Pat Postma also presented the Postma Young Professional Medal to Wade Creswell, chief executive officer of The Roane Alliance. [Read more…]

Letter: Chinn asks to be appointed mayor pro tem

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Rick Chinn (File photo by John Huotari/oak Ridge Today)

Editor’s note: Oak Ridge City Council member Rick Chinn has asked to be appointed mayor pro tem during a Monday, Dec. 12, meeting of the City Council. Here is a copy of a Dec. 7 letter he wrote to other city leaders.

City Manager Watson and Honorable Members of Oak Ridge City Council,

First, I would like to congratulate the new members elected to Council and express my enthusiasm in working with all the new and returning members of Council for the coming years. I feel we have a great group of members and know that if we work together we can accomplish some great things for the City of Oak Ridge. In my opinion, a key to making these great things happen is working together in electing and supporting Council leadership.

That said, I would like to officially announce my interest in becoming the new mayor pro tem.

Next, I would like to express my gratitude and support for Mayor Warren Gooch in his service as mayor for the past two years and his willingness to offer his service again. I feel he has done a fine job in bringing Council together to accomplish our common goals. I fully support him in his continued service in this role. [Read more…]

Letter: Smith asks to be re-appointed as mayor pro tem

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Ellen Smith (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Editor’s note: Oak Ridge Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Smith has asked to be appointed to a second two-year term during a Monday, Dec. 12, meeting of the Oak Ridge City Council. Here is a copy of a Dec. 6 letter she wrote to other city leaders.

Dear Fellow City Leaders:

I am writing to request your support and your votes for my candidacy to serve as mayor pro tem for a second two-year term.

The role of the mayor pro tem is to fill in for the mayor when the mayor is not available—particularly to chair meetings of City Council and serve as the “face” or ambassador of the city’s elected leadership when the mayor is unable to do so.

I have endeavored over the past two years to conduct city business in an efficient and respectful manner and to present a positive image for Council and the community, both locally and when representing Oak Ridge outside our city’s borders. [Read more…]

Smith, Chinn both seek appointment as mayor pro tem

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Ellen Smith (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Smith is seeking appointment to a second two-year term as mayor pro tem on Monday.

But she has a challenger: Rick Chinn.

The mayor pro tem is someone who can carry out the duties of the mayor when the mayor is temporarily unavailable. That includes leading Oak Ridge City Council meetings and serving as the city’s ambassador when the mayor is not available.

In a letter to her fellow city leaders, Smith said she has tried, during her two-year term, to conduct city business in an efficient and respectful manner and to present a positive image for Council and the community, both locally and when representing Oak Ridge outside the city’s borders. [Read more…]

New Council members to be sworn in Monday

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Two new members of the Oak Ridge City Council and one incumbent will be sworn in Monday. Two incumbents re-elected to the Oak Ridge Board of Education will also be sworn in.

The two new City Council members are Jim Dodson and Hans Vogel. The incumbent is Chuck Hope.

The two school board members who were re-elected in the November 8 municipal election are Angi Agle and Keys Fillauer. [Read more…]

Interior Department protects 75,000 acres from surface mining, including in Anderson County

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U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell

U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell

 

A federal decision announced Wednesday designates about 75,000 acres of mountain ridge lines, including in Anderson County, as unsuitable for surface coal mining operations, a press release said.

The decision, which affects mountains in East Tennessee, was announced by Interior Secretary Sally Jewell.

“Today’s action helps protect a spectacular area of eastern Tennessee that is critical to the region’s tourism and outdoor recreation economy, provides valuable fish and wildlife habitat, and supports a healthy watershed,” the press release said.

The release said the Interior Department designated the mountain ridge lines as unsuitable for surface coal mining at the request of the State of Tennessee. Besides Anderson County, the other affected counties include Campbell, Scott, and Morgan. [Read more…]

Manhattan Project: Secrecy, Security, Spies program on Saturday, Dec. 17

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The Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse is pictured above on the west end of town. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse is pictured above on the west end of town. (Submitted photo)

 

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will present a program on Saturday, December 17, at 3:30 p.m. at the Turnpike Gatehouse.  The program will give visitors some insight to what life was like in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project with all the security, the need for secrecy, and the worry of spies, a press release said.

The program is free and open to the public; parking is limited, so please try to carpool if possible, the press release said.

The Gatehouse is also at a trail head for the North Boundary Greenway, and visitors can go for a self-guided hike after the program. [Read more…]

Manhattan Project photography exhibit all month at Children’s Museum

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The Manhattan Project National Historical Park, in partnership with the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, will be featuring a Parks in Focus photography exhibit during the month of December. The photography exhibit is located in the Imagination Gallery at the museum located at 461 West Outer Drive. (Submitted photo)

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park, in partnership with the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, will be featuring a Parks in Focus photography exhibit during the month of December. The photography exhibit is located in the Imagination Gallery at the museum located at 461 West Outer Drive. (Submitted photo)

 

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park, in partnership with the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, will be featuring a Parks in Focus photography exhibit during the month of December. The photography exhibit is located in the Imagination Gallery at the museum located at 461 West Outer Drive.

This exhibit features photographs taken by third and fourth grade girls from Girls Inc. of Oak Ridge using the Parks in Focus program curriculum, a press release said. The Udall Foundation, based in Tucson, Arizona, created the Parks in Focus program to connect youth from under-served communities to nature through photography, environmental education, outdoor recreation, and creative expressions. This program has been providing outdoor experiences for youth who have limited exposure to nature to increase their appreciation for their environment, the release said.

Girls Inc. youth were introduced to this pilot photography program in September. [Read more…]

Making it easier to qualify, program offering free energy-efficient upgrades raises income level

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MORE2 Logo

In April, Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient, or MORE2, began installing energy-efficient upgrades (such as water heaters, HVAC units, and attic insulation) in the homes of Oak Ridge residents for free.

So far, MORE2 has worked on more than 30 homes and has seen drastic improvements in the lives of those who have participated in the program.

MORE2 is funded by a grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Linda, a renter who was heating her home with window air-conditioning units and baseboard heat, has been amazed at the difference in her life since the MORE2 team installed upgrades in her home, a press release said. She told a team member, “I’m sleeping better and I’m breathing better…I’m so pleased and grateful for these changes.” [Read more…]

First year: More than 80,000 visit three Manhattan Project Park sites in 2016

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The late Bill Wilcox by the International Friendship Bell in Oak Ridge. (Courtesy of Friends of the International Friendship Bell via Atomic Heritage Foundation)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12 p.m. Dec. 8.

More than 80,000 people have visited the three sites of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge, according to a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C.

Besides Oak Ridge, the park includes Hanford, Washington, and Los Alamos, New Mexico.

In Oak Ridge, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park has a volunteer or ranger at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge when the museum is open. The park also has activities. For example, there is a program on secrecy, security, and spies at the Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse in west Oak Ridge on Saturday, December 17. And the park, in partnership with the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, will be featuring a Parks in Focus photography exhibit during the month of December. The photography exhibit is located in the Imagination Gallery at the museum located at 461 West Outer Drive.

Also, a virtual tour of the K-25 Building can be found at the new K-25 Virtual Museum website. And from March to November, admission to AMSE includes a three-hour bus tour of the Oak Ridge Reservation, including the X-10 Graphite Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, New Bethel Church at ORNL, the visitor overlook at the East Tennessee Technology Park (former home to the K-25 gaseous diffusion building), and Y-12 New Hope History Center. [Read more…]

Photos: Oak Ridge Christmas tree lighting

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The Oak Ridge Christmas tree lighting was Friday, Dec. 2, 2016, in Alvin K. Bissell Park. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Christmas tree lighting was Friday in Alvin K. Bissell Park. Here are photos by the City of Oak Ridge.

The annual Christmas tree lighting and reception are sponsored by the Oak Ridge Woman’s Club and the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department. The reception includes seasonal music and entertainment in the Oak Ridge Civic Center gymnasium. [Read more…]

Officials celebrate sale of DOE land to IDB, which sold to Protomet, for economic development

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Protomet Corporation is pictured above in the Bethel Valley Industrial Park in south Oak Ridge on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Officials are celebrating the sale of federal land east of Oak Ridge National Laboratory that could be used to help an industrial company expand.

The 20-acre parcel had been owned by the U.S. Department of Energy in Oak Ridge. The property is adjacent to the Bethel Valley Industrial Park in south Oak Ridge and west of Protomet. The company had sought the property for a planned expansion.

The parcel was sold to the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, or IDB, on October 20.

The IDB, which served as a conduit, then sold the land to Protomet. The company is evaluating the site as one option as it plans for a $30 million expansion that could add 200 jobs over a five-year period. [Read more…]