Oak Ridge Today

Public Notice: Public comment period, public hearing on Annual Action Plan

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

City of Oak Ridge

Equal Housing Opportunity Logo

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

 

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Entitlement Program

for the City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee

 

NOTICE OF 30-DAY PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD

AND CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING

For

Annual Action Plan of the Consolidated Plan

CDBG Program Year 2015-City of Oak Ridge Fiscal Year 2016

 

The Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development is a requirement of the 1990 National Affordable Housing Act and the Community Development Plan, for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Such a plan is required of entitlement communities, which receive Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds under HUD’s housing and service programs related to the needs of low- and moderate-income persons. The development of the sixth City of Oak Ridge Consolidated Plan took place during the eight-month period of September 2013 through April 2014 and is to be utilized for the three-year period of July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2017 (CDBG Program Year 2014 through Program Year 2016). [Read more…]

Drop off household hazardous waste in Oak Ridge on Saturday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s mobile household hazardous waste collection service will be in Anderson, Carter, Obion, and Giles counties on Saturday, May 16. The drop-off point in Oak Ridge is the Oak Ridge Public Works Department on Woodbury Lane.

“Our household hazardous waste mobile collection service provides the people of Tennessee with a safe, environmentally friendly way to dispose of unwanted household chemicals and other potentially hazardous wastes at no cost,” said Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau. “This service travels across the state holding collection events in local communities, and we encourage all Tennesseans to take advantage of the opportunity to utilize it.”

On Saturday, May 16, any Tennessee resident may bring his or her household hazardous waste to the following locations. (Note that hours listed indicate the local time for events.) [Read more…]

Registration for Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit closes Monday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Includes discussion of federal missions in Oak Ridge

Registration for the annual Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit closes Monday. The summit will include a discussion of federal missions in Oak Ridge.

Organizers expect more than 300 national and regionals leaders at the 20th Annual Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit. It’s being held at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City on May 27-28. The Summit will be at the D.P. Culp University Center at ETSU.

“Hundreds of regional leaders will gather in Johnson City to focus on education from the business and industry perspective at the 20th annual Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit,” a press release said. “The sessions at the two-day event will focus on how to ensure tomorrow’s workforce has the skills they need to find quality jobs at home and how the region’s educational institutions can partner with businesses and organizations for better success.” [Read more…]

Public Notice: City asks for comments on update to fair housing impediments analysis

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The City of Oak Ridge has recently updated its Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Document and wants to gain additional public input from citizens of Oak Ridge about the information contained within the document.

Here is the public notice from the city: [Read more…]

Land Bank has first housing strategy meeting on Thursday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Land Bank Housing Strategy

The Oak Ridge Land Bank Corporation will host its first housing strategy meeting on Thursday. The goal is to address the city’s housing situation while building partnerships in a collaborative effort to promote the city “as the place to live and work by improving our community’s neighborhoods,” a press release said.

The work session is scheduled from 1 to 5 p.m. Thursday, May 14, at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.

Agenda items including the state of housing, a mobile tour, and partner presentations by ADFAC (Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties), Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County, Oak Ridge Housing Authority, and Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. [Read more…]

BES Technologies celebrates one million gallons of recycled water

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

BES Technologies Rad Waste Water Laundry Operations

BES Technologies LLC, or BEST, has reached a major milestone by recycling one million gallons of radiological waste water through its laundry operations at the East Tennessee Technology Park.

“This represents the prevention of one million gallons of water that would have gone into our environment, but instead was cleaned and re-used,” a press release said. “This recycling process not only avoids environmental insult, but also allows for savings to be passed on to customers by cleaning and reusing water.”

The press release said the laundering service uses a state-of-the-art radiological water treatment system, and it is able to reuse more than 70 percent of the water used in its process. [Read more…]

Roane County Budget Committee meets Monday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Roane County Budget Committee will meet at 6 p.m. Monday, May 11, at the Roane County Courthouse in Kingston.

The Budget Committee includes Ron Woody, Steve Kelley, Bobby Collier, Randy Ellis, and Ron Berry.

The committee will meet in in the first floor conference room at the courthouse. The meeting on Thursday, May 7, was canceled.

The Budget Committee meetings are open to the public.

Atomic Heritage meets with Japanese mayors to discuss Manhattan Project park

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

AHF Meets with Nagasaki and Hiroshima Mayors

AHF President Cindy Kelly with Nagasaki Mayor Tomahisa Taue on her right and Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui on her left. (Photo by AHF)

 

The Atomic Heritage Foundation, the nonprofit organization that worked for 15 years to create a Manhattan Project national park, met with the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki this month to discuss how the story of the atomic bomb will be interpreted.

The meeting, which was held at the Institute of International Education at the United Nations Plaza in New York City, marked a “positive first step in opening a dialogue with the Japanese, whose input will be important to the interpretation of the new park,” a press release said. In addition to the two mayors, the Atomic Heritage Foundation also met with Japanese local government officials.

The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first nuclear weapons during World War II. The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will include Oak Ridge; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Hanford, Washington.

The meeting in New York City on Friday, May 1, began with opening remarks from Nagasaki Mayor Tomahisa Taue and Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, who described the suffering of those affected by the atomic bombing, a press release said. They expressed hope that interpretation of the new Manhattan Project Park would not end with the dropping of the bomb but also “focus on what happened under the mushroom cloud.”

The United States dropped one bomb over Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, and a second over Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. Japan surrendered a few days later. Uranium for the first weapon, code-named “Little Boy,” was enriched at federal sites in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

AC seniors rally for new senior center

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

On Tuesday in Clinton, Anderson County seniors took their quest for a new Senior Center to the front steps of the Courthouse.

At 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 5, seniors convened in front of the Courthouse carrying signs indicating their desire for a new senior center and reminding county officials that they and their demands are not going anywhere.

Currently housed in a small facility in downtown Clinton, the Office on Aging—which serves as the de facto Senior Center—and the Council on Aging have been actively searching for a suitable building. A couple of months ago, they thought they had found a suitable location for a Senior Center, but that deal fell through when the rent turned out to be higher than the East Tennessee Human Resource Agency—or ETHRA—was willing to pay. ETHRA provides a significant portion of the Office’s budget. [Read more…]

Anderson County hosts National Day of Prayer at Courthouse on Thursday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Anderson County Courthouse

Anderson County will participate in the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 7. It’s scheduled from noon to 12:30 p.m. Thursday on the front steps of the Anderson County Courthouse on North Main Street in Clinton.

The Anderson County Mayor’s Office said the Courthouse will remain open but with limited staff during the ceremony, and officials ask residents to be patient if they have business to conduct. All Anderson County citizens are invited to attend the local ceremony, a press release said. Prayers will be offered for county officials, the nation, education, the U.S. military, community relationships, and churches and families, the release said. Local pastors will lead those assembled in prayer, and local residents and students will provide musical selections.

The press release said the National Day of Prayer provides Americans an opportunity to come together to pray for matters concerning present-day America and the nation’s future.

Top issues identified: Housing, population, Main Street, retail

Posted at
By 3 Comments

Warren Gooch

Warren Gooch

A community survey has identified housing, population, and the development of Main Street Oak Ridge and retail shopping as top issues, Mayor Warren Gooch said Tuesday.

Other top issues include jobs and economic development, and public relations efforts to promote the city.

High priorities on a list of potential capital investments or projects include infrastructure improvements, a new preschool, and funding of an incentive program for people buying or renovating a house.

Ten groups have participated in the survey since January 1, Gooch said. Those groups include the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, the three Rotary clubs, Oak Valley Baptist Church, Anderson County Tea Party, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce coffees, Leadership Oak Ridge, Neighborhood Watch awards banquet, and citizens at large.

Gooch, who gave a speech to the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge on Tuesday, said residents can still participate in the survey.

Here are survey results as of April 30, 2015:

What is the most important issue facing Oak Ridge?

[Read more…]

Gooch: Main Street No. 1 priority, gives updates on National Park, reappraisals, airport

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Main Street Oak Ridge Site Plan April 16, 2015

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch on Tuesday said his number one priority for the community is the successful development of Main Street Oak Ridge, which would redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall. Pictured above is a cropped picture of the Main Street Oak Ridge site plan as of April 16. A link to a larger PDF version of the plan is included in the story below.

 

Note: Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch gave an update on positive developments and challenges during a talk to the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge on Tuesday, May 5. Here is a lightly edited version of his remarks, which organized the positive developments and challenges into sections. Gooch was appointed mayor by the seven-member Oak Ridge City Council on November 24. This is his first four-year term on the City Council.

It is a distinct privilege for me to serve as your mayor, but I always preface my remarks by saying that I am not speaking today for Council or for the city manager. I have one vote on Council, but I do consider myself to be the chairman of the board of directors for the city.

In that capacity, as I enter my sixth month of service as mayor, I want to share my thoughts about positive developments in our city, discuss near-term challenges that we face, share the results that I have from the community survey that I have been conducting, and leave time for your questions and comments.

First. My number one priority for our community is the successful development of Main Street Oak Ridge (which would redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall), and it is moving forward. Last week, Crosland Southeast announced that MDC Development Group of Atlanta will be the hotel developer for the project. MDC is also a major developer in the senior housing industry and 15 months ago opened Canterfield Oak Ridge Assisted Living. It has been very successful and well-received in our community.

I was advised yesterday (Monday, May 4) that the retail leasing component of the Main Street project is moving forward, as are the negotiations with a developer for the multi-family housing component of the Main Street project. Groundbreaking and demolition for Main Street is on schedule to begin by June 30. [Read more…]