Oak Ridge Today

City publishes summary of Oak Ridge Land Bank Partnership Strategy Workshop

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By City of Oak Ridge

On November 6, 2015, the Oak Ridge Land Bank Corporation, in conjunction with the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, hosted the second Housing Strategy Work Session. The purpose of this meeting was to identify willing partners in the effort to improve housing quality in the City of Oak Ridge.

As a result of this collaborative meeting, feedback was gathered from six identified stakeholder groups, each having their own perspective on what needs to be done and what they could do in addressing the city’s identified housing challenges.

The participating stakeholder groups offered the following input:

Banks

[Read more…]

Phil Yager announces candidacy for Anderson County Commission

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Phil Yager

Phil Yager

Note: This story was last updated at 12 p.m. June 5.

Phil Yager has announced that he is a candidate for Anderson County Commission in District 8, which includes the Woodland, Hendrix Creek, and Emory Valley precincts.

“I am running for this position because I want to work hard on issues that are important to all of us: safe neighborhoods, economic development, quality education, and improving our housing stock,” Yager said in a press release. He wants to help expand business and industrial opportunities, maintain the county’s quality of life, and make sure children have excellent schools.

Community service is important to Yager, who has served as a community volunteer for a number of organizations, the press release said. He was appointed by Oak Ridge City Council to serve on the Industrial Development Board and serves as treasurer on that board. He was also appointed to serve on the Oak Ridge Board of Building and Housing Code of Appeals.

Serving on those boards, Yager has been actively involved in important issues facing Oak Ridge—industrial and retail growth, as well as the issue of distressed housing, the press release said. Yager was also selected to serve on the Oak Ridge Charter Review Committee. [Read more…]

All lanes of I-75 reopen in Campbell County

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I-75 Northbound Lanes Campbell County April 13 2016

Tennessee Department of Transportation contract crews on Wednesday, April 13, 2016, reopened a second lane of travel on Interstate 75 North near mile marker 142 in Campbell County after cleaning up a February 26 rockslide that initially shut down both the northbound and southbound lanes. (Photo courtesy Mark Nagi of TDOT via Twitter)

 

Tennessee Department of Transportation contract crews on Wednesday reopened a second lane of travel on Interstate 75 North near mile marker 142 in Campbell County. All lanes, both northbound and southbound, are now open.

The opening is ahead of schedule, following a rockslide on February 26 that initially forced the closure of the entire interstate. An emergency contract set a schedule for the repairs and allowed all southbound lanes to be reopened on March 9. A single northbound lane was reopened two weeks later on March 24.

While all lanes of travel are now open, a work zone remains off the roadway as crews continue to remove debris and stabilize the existing slope. This work is anticipated to last until the end of May. Motorists are encouraged to use extra caution, especially while workers are present. [Read more…]

Secret City Spirits could make bourbon, rum in Oak Ridge

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Secret City Spirits

The Secret City Spirits distillery proposed in west Oak Ridge could be the first of its kind in the city, and it could make bourbon and rum, and flavored unaged liquor.

Secret City Spirits would be located at 1990B Oak Ridge Turnpike, next to United Grocery Outlet.

The co-owners are brothers Eric and Nathan Edmonds of Roane County, Tom Price of Knox County, and Michael Schrage of Chattanooga.

The liquor would be aged on the property. The Oak Ridge Board of Zoning Appeals approved a property exception on Tuesday to allow for light manufacturing, aging, and bottling of liquor for eventual distribution at the property.

The owners said they won’t have a storefront for now. Some liquors have to age for two years. But rums can be produced in less time than that and so can flavored unaged liquors. [Read more…]

Small modular nuclear reactors not likely before mid-2020s

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TVA-SMRs-at-NRC-Meeting-April-12-2016

The Tennessee Valley Authority plans to apply by May 12 for an early site permit that could allow small modular nuclear reactors at the Clinch River Site in west Oak Ridge, possibly as soon as the mid-2020s. Pictured above at a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission meeting to discuss the early site permit on Tuesday, April 12, 2016, is Dan Stout, TVA senior manager for small modular reactors. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The small modular nuclear reactors being evaluated for the Clinch River Site in west Oak Ridge could provide an emissions-free fuel source, but it could be a decade or so before they start operating. And that’s assuming all goes according to plan, officials said Tuesday.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is evaluating the possibility of building the small modular reactors, or SMRs, at the 1,200-acre Clinch River Site. To help prepare for the project, TVA plans to apply for what is known as an early site permit, or ESP, for the Oak Ridge project from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission by May 12.

The NRC had two public meetings at Oak Ridge Associated Universities on Tuesday to discuss the safety and environmental review process related to the TVA permit application.

The early site permit application will allow the NRC to evaluate site safety, the environment, and emergency preparedness for future SMRs at the Clinch River Site. That site is in west Oak Ridge just north of the Clinch River and Interstate 40, south of Heritage Center (the former K-25 site), and between Highway 95 and Highway 58 in a bend of the Clinch River.

The review of TVA’s application for an early site permit could take about three years, and maybe longer if any groups raise legal challenges, said Scott Burnell, NRC public affairs officer. [Read more…]

Kickoff meeting for home energy-saving program is April 26

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City of Oak Ridge Seal

The “Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient (MORE2)” Program will be hosting a kickoff event for Oak Ridge residents on Tuesday, April 26, from 4-6 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Civic Center Social Room. The event is an opportunity for anyone interested in learning more about this new program for qualified, low-income residents in the community, a press release said.

Information on other energy-saving programs will also be available for those who do not qualify for the MORE2 program.

The City of Oak Ridge is kicking off the MORE2 program to perform “whole-home, deep energy retrofits” for 229 qualified residents in homes that are at least 20 years old. The project goal is to reduce electrical energy usage in all-electric homes to improve the quality of life for lower income residents and homeowners by significantly increasing the efficiency and comfort of their homes.

Attendees at this event will receive energy-saving items and informant about low- to no-expense energy-saving practices that can immediately improve energy savings in homes. [Read more…]

Roane County executive to speak at Lunch with the League

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Ron Woody, Roane County

Ron Woody

Ron Woody, Roane County executive, will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League on Tuesday, April 19. The program will begin at noon in the Social Hall at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Woody will address issues of importance to the county such as where your tax dollars go, problems the county has solved, and problems it is still facing, according to information provided by his office. Among the topics he will address or update in his presentation, “The State of Roane County,” are education, property appraisal, business recruitment, and development of tourism and funding of public services.

What happens in Roane County is of importance to Oak Ridge since a significant portion of Oak Ridge is located in Roane County, and present and future planning affect the lives and wellbeing of these residents and, consequently, all of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Reminder: NRC has public meetings on small nuclear reactors today

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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. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Reminder: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will have two public meetings in Oak Ridge today (Tuesday, April 12). The meetings are to discuss the safety and environmental review process related to a Tennessee Valley Authority permit application for small modular reactors at the Clinch River Nuclear Site in west Oak Ridge.

TVA expects to submit what is known as an early site permit, or ESP, application by May 12.

One of the topics to be discussed today is how and when the public may participate in the NRC review process, if desired, a NRC meeting notice said. “The public is encouraged to ask questions about the NRC review process for this ESP Application,”

Two sessions are scheduled in the auditorium of the Pollard Technology Conference Center at 210 Badger Avenue in Oak Ridge.

The first is scheduled from 1-4 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, and the second is scheduled from 6-9 p.m. Prior to each formal session, there will be an informal one-hour open house to give the public an opportunity to speak informally with the NRC staff. [Read more…]

Public Notice: City of Oak Ridge Emergency Solutions Grant Subrecipient Application Package

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CITY OF OAK RIDGE

EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANT (ESG)

SUBRECIPIENT APPLICATION

PACKAGE PY2016-FY2017

(JULY 1, 2016 – JUNE 30, 2017)

The City of Oak Ridge’s Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds must be used to accomplish the following Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) objectives:

  • To help improve the quality of emergency shelters for homelessness;
  • To help meet the costs of operating and maintaining emergency shelters;
  • To provide essential services so that homeless individuals have access to the assistance they need to improve their situation;
  • To provide street outreach services to the homeless; and
  • To provide emergency intervention assistance and rapid re-housing services to prevent homelessness and to obtain permanent housing.

The application seeks to aid interested, public (social) service sub-recipients whose goals align with local priorities and also demonstrate the ability to meet the following requirements as outlined in the grant application. The total amount awarded to any applicant shall not exceed $46,697.24: [Read more…]

Poll: Which project are you most excited about? Which might be best for Oak Ridge?

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There are a number of projects proposed or under development in Oak Ridge. Some involve the city or schools or both, while others involve the federal government or are primarily free-market deals.

We are curious about which project you are most excited about, and which you think might be best for Oak Ridge. We also wonder if you object to any of them. So, we built four polls.

In the polls, we included nine projects that have received widespread attention during the past few years. There are others we could add, but we started with these nine. Please feel free to let us know if you think we missed any other significant projects.

 

 

 

 

Note: At the suggestion of a reader, we added a “none of the above” option to this last poll question after voting had already been under way for about 18 hours. Please keep that in mind when viewing the results.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Civic Center Recreation Building temporarily closing for ACT testing Tuesday, April 19

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Oak-Ridge-Civic-Center-March-7-2016

The Oak Ridge Civic Center is pictured above on Oak Ridge Turnpike in March 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge Civic Center Recreation Building will be closed to the public during the day on Tuesday, April 19. The Oak Ridge Schools will be using the facility to conduct ACT testing for students. Only students pre-registered for the test, school faculty, proctors, and assigned Recreation and Parks staff will be admitted to the building. The building will reopen for public use at 5 p.m.

The Oak Ridge Civic Center is at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

For more information contact Jon Hetrick, Recreation and Parks Department, at (865) 425-3446 or visit the city’s website at http://www.oakridgetn.gov.

Charlie Daniels Band, Grand Funk Railroad to headline Secret City Festival

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Charlie-Daniels-Band-Secret-City-Festival-2016

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

 

The Charlie Daniels Band and Grand Funk Railroad with Atlanta Rhythm Section will be the headliners in the Friday and Saturday night concerts at the Secret City Festival in June.

“After a record-breaking concert turnout in 2015, the 14th annual Secret City Festival on June 10th-11th aims to keep the good times rolling,” a press release said.

The concert headliners were announced Friday by radio sponsors 96.7 MerleFM and 93.1 WNOX.

Daniels continues to “bring down the house” at age 78 with his genre-defining Southern rock anthems and his CMA Award-winning country hits, the press release said. The legendary musician was recently announced as a 2016 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the press release said. He is best known for such hits as “Uneasy Rider,” “The South’s Gonna Do It Again,” “Trudy,” “Long Haired Country Boy,” “Midnight Wind,” and “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” [Read more…]