Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge starts Adopt-A-Creek program

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The City of Oak Ridge Healthy Waters Program is seeking organizations, businesses, and community groups to participate in a new Adopt-A-Creek program. The Adopt-A-Creek program serves to enhance the quality of Oak Ridge’s waterways through citizen action and education. It aims to reduce the amount of trash in and along waterways, to increase citizen awareness of water quality issues, and to train citizens on how to monitor stream health, a press release said.

Any organization, business, or group can volunteer to adopt a creek, or section of a creek, for a one-year period. During this period, participants will pick up and remove litter in and around the creek at least once every six months. Additionally, participants will be taught how to perform a visual stream assessment at each creek cleanup.

Safety and stream assessment training for each participating group’s coordinator and co-coordinator will be provided, and so will trash bags, gloves, safety vests, and warning signs for the groups to use during each cleanup event, the press release said. [Read more…]

Backyard chickens, Centennial Golf Course among items for Council work session

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Oak Ridge City Council on July 27, 2015

The Oak Ridge City Council is expected to discuss backyard chickens, Centennial Golf Course, and Anderson County General Sessions Court during a non-voting work session on Tuesday, May 17, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A change in city ordinances that would allow backyard chickens is on the agenda for an Oak Ridge City Council work session tonight (Tuesday, May 17). Also on the agenda during the non-voting work session are options for the city-owned Centennial Golf Course and an update on the relocation of Anderson County General Sessions Court, Division II.

The work session starts at 6 p.m. in the Central Services Complex Multipurpose Room on Woodbury Lane, which is behind the Kmart shopping center.

The City Council approved the backyard chicken ordinance in the first of two readings on Monday, May 9. There could be amendments to the ordinance on second and final reading in June. [Read more…]

City, county could move General Sessions Court to Emory Valley Road

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A few options have been considered, and Anderson County will now study whether to move the General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge to a county-owned building on Emory Valley Road. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A few options have been considered, and Anderson County will now study whether to move the General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge to a county-owned building on Emory Valley Road.

Related to that proposal are plans to move the Oak Ridge Senior Center, which is now at the Emory Valley Road building, to the Oak Ridge Civic Center on Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Also up for a possible move is the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department. That department now occupies part of the Civic Center, where the Senior Center could move, but the department’s administrative offices could move to a vacant building on Badger Road that once housed Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic.

The idea is that moving the administrative wing of Recreation and Parks to the Badger Road building could free up space for seniors at the Civic Center, which in turn would help create space at the county-owned building for the General Sessions Court. [Read more…]

Learn about secrecy, security, spies during Manhattan Project on Friday

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Turnpike Checking station

The Turnpike Gatehouse on Oak Ridge Turnpike in west Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

A program in west Oak Ridge on Friday, May 20, will give visitors some insight into what life was like in the city during the Manhattan Project with all the security, the need for secrecy, and the concern for spies, a press release said.

The program will be presented by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. It starts at 3 p.m. May 20 at the Turnpike Gatehouse, which is located at 2900 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

Visitors that are taking the U.S. Department of Energy public tour are encouraged to attend the program after the tour, the press release said.

This program is free and open to the public. Parking is limited, so please try to carpool if possible. [Read more…]

Running for Office Workshop on Thursday at Oak Ridge Chamber

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Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce building is pictured above.

 

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is offering a free workshop for anyone interested in running for local office on Thursday, May 19. The workshop is scheduled from 7-8:30 p.m. May 19 in the Joyce Conference Room at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. It’s open to the public.

The workshop will be conducted by Bob Eby, who has successfully run four campaigns over four decades and currently serves on the Oak Ridge Board of Education. He will share advice that he has received from elected officials over the years as well as his own observations and experiences during the past 30 years. Eby will share his list of things you must do, the things to avoid, and things to consider in order to run a successful campaign. There will be an opportunity for participants to ask questions and discuss issues. [Read more…]

Explore Oak Ridge to co-locate with Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

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Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce building is pictured above.

 

Explore Oak Ridge (the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau) will be moving its operations from its current location at 102 Robertsville Road to co-locate with the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce in July, according to an agreement reached by the two organizations earlier this week.

The Chamber building is located at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike, near Oak Ridge High School and across from the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

The initial lease is for three years, with two additional one-year extension options. It will position the Chamber, Explore Oak Ridge, the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, and the Roane State Tennessee Small Business Development Center in one facility, a press release said. [Read more…]

Council approves ‘backyard chicken’ ordinance in first of two readings

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Pictured above during an Oak Ridge City Council work session on Tuesday, April 19, 2016, are Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, left, and Kayla Wyatt, an advocate for allowing a small number of hens at Oak Ridge homes. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

In the first of two monthly readings, the Oak Ridge City Council on Monday approved an ordinance that would allow residents to keep up to six female chickens, or hens, at homes in the city, possibly starting this year. No roosters would be allowed, and henhouses would not be allowed in front yards.

Council approved an ordinance that was adopted by Knoxville in 2010 and amended for potential use in Oak Ridge.

The Monday vote was 5-2 in favor of the “backyard chicken” ordinance. Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch and City Council member Rick Chinn cast the two “no” votes.

Chinn had concerns about lot size, among other things, and Gooch had concerns about the city’s image and potential disputes during implementation and enforcement.

Supporters of the current citizen-led initiative, first started with the help of Jennifer Alexander several years ago and picked up by Kayla Wyatt more recently, argued in favor of the hens for reasons of sustainability, teaching children about where food comes from, and being able to produce fresh eggs, among other reasons. [Read more…]

Highway safety initiative comes to Roane County

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If you are wondering what these message boards and yard signs are doing all over town, wonder no more.

The portable message boards have a simple message of “Buckle Up Tonight” that flashes twice as each car passes. The yard signs read on one side “Buckle Up Tonight to See Tomorrow.” The message on the other reads “Exercise Some Restraint When You Go Out Tonight,” and it shows a seatbelt graphic.

This is part of a campaign organized by University of Tennessee Center for Transportation Research. This initiative is funded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Tennessee Highway Safety Office to increase nighttime seat belt use. [Read more…]

Secret City Festival features something for everyone

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The Charlie Daniels Band will headline the Friday night, June 10, concert at the 2016 Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

The 14th annual Secret City Festival on June 10 and 11 is fast approaching, and it promises great entertainment, music, a World War II battle re-enactment, family fun, arts and crafts, food, historical displays, and much more, a press release said.

The Secret City Festival kicks off at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, June 10, and 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 11, with full days of fun and exciting events happening on the pavilion stage and around the festival venue. The annual festival is at the Oak Ridge Civic Center and Alvin K. Bissell Park in central Oak Ridge.

The Charlie Daniels Band takes the stage Friday night, June 10, for an evening of great music and energy. A 2016 inductee in the Country Music Hall of Fame, Charlie Daniels has parlayed his passion for music into a multi-platinum career and a platform to support the military, a cause that is close to his heart. With songs like “The South’s Gonna Do It Again,” “Long Haired Country Boy,” and “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” The Charlie Daniels Band is a must-see concert. [Read more…]

Council will consider ordinance to allow up to six hens at Oak Ridge homes

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Mark-Watson-and-Kayla-Wyatt-April-19-2016

Pictured above during an Oak Ridge City Council work session on Tuesday, April 19, 2016, are Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, left, and Kayla Wyatt, an advocate for allowing a small number of hens at Oak Ridge homes. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider an ordinance that would allow residents to keep up to six female chickens, or hens, at homes in the city, possibly starting this year. No roosters would be allowed, and henhouses would not be allowed in front yards.

Council will consider an ordinance that was adopted by Knoxville in 2010 and amended for potential use in Oak Ridge.

Under the proposed ordinance, which has been requested by City Council members, the Oak Ridge Police Department Division of Animal Control would have authority to permit residents to keep hens. The Oak Ridge Community Development Department would be responsible for permitting and inspecting residential henhouses and fencing for the hens, often referred to as “backyard chickens.”

Fenced enclosures and henhouses for the chickens would have to be properly ventilated, clean, dry, and odor-free. The enclosures and henhouses would have to kept in a neat and sanitary condition and not disturb neighbors due to noise, odor, or other adverse impact. They would have to provide adequate ventilation, sun, and shade, and be built to resist access by rodents, wild birds, and predators, including dogs and cats. The access doors to henhouses would have to be capable of being shut and locked at night.

If adopted, the ordinance would require $25 annual permits for domestic hens, plus a one-time $50 building permit fee for the required henhouse, according to a memo from Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson to City Council members. Permits would expire on December 31 each year, although permits issued in 2016 would extend through December 31, 2017. Only one permit would be allowed per property.

Permits could be suspended or revoked by Animal Control when there is a risk to public health or safety or failure to comply with applicable ordinances or law. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Chamber opposes Hall tax changes that hurt local governments

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Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce building is pictured above.

 

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce acknowledges the need for tax reform in Tennessee, but the organization has opposed changing the Hall income tax in a way that would hurt local governments, an official said Thursday.

Specifically, the Oak Ridge Chamber opposes modifying or ending the Hall income tax in a way that would result in a negative financial impact to local governments, Chamber President Parker Hardy said.

The Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill Friday that would lower the Hall tax on stock and dividend income from 6 percent to 5 percent in the 2016 tax year. The tax would be reduced by 1 percent per year after that until it is eliminated by 2022.

Oak Ridge officials expect to lose between about $100,000 and $120,000 in the fiscal year that starts July 1. There is an impact on other local communities as well—including Anderson County, Clinton, and Roane County—but none of them will lose as much as Oak Ridge.

The eventual repeal of the tax could cost Oak Ridge as much as $700,000 per year or more. The city collected $708,454 from the Hall tax in 2015. [Read more…]

AC public works director not guilty on all five counts

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David Crowley

David Crowley

 

Note: This story was last updated at 5:50 p.m.

CLINTON—Anderson County Public Works Director David Crowley has been found not guilty on charges that he conducted building inspections without proper certifications.

A seven-man, five-woman jury found Crowley not guilty on all five counts after deliberating for about one hour and 45 minutes Thursday.

Crowley had been accused of violating the state’s building official certification law.

With the acquittals on Thursday, he can seek to have the charges expunged from his record, Anderson County Criminal and Circuit Court Judge Don Elledge said.

A few key questions raised in the trial had been whether five building inspections conducted by Crowley between October and December 2013, when he was not certified by the state, were within a 12-month grace period and whether they posed a danger to life, safety, health, and welfare. The question of when the grace period started depended upon whether Crowley’s interim hiring in September 2012 should be considered the starting point, or whether it should be his permanent appointment in November 2012 or his first inspection in February 2013.

The trial started Wednesday morning in Anderson County Criminal and Circuit Court, and it ended Thursday afternoon. [Read more…]