Oak Ridge Today

Youth Board starts 22nd year; welcomes new members, officers

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Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board 2013-2014

The Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board for 2013-2014 is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board recently started its 22nd year with new members, the first meeting of the 2013-2014 term, and officer elections.

YAB member Kelsey Warmbrod, an Oak Ridge High School senior serving in her fifth term of office, was elected chairwoman, a press release said. In other elections, fourth-year member Shane Harris was elected vice chair, senior Abby Douglas was elected secretary, and Peter Magill was elected treasurer. [Read more…]

Lake City picked for PlanET demonstration project

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Information from WYSH Radio

It has already been a banner week for Lake City.

On Monday, the Anderson County Commission’s Operations Committee voted to recommend purchasing the old Bank of America building in Lake City for $100,000 using part of the proceeds of the pending sale of county-owned land to the Hollingsworth Company for $303,000. The remaining $203,000 would be used as seed money for the start-up Anderson County Economic Development Fund. Supporters of the bank building purchase foresee using it as the new home of Coal Miners’ Museum as well as for storage and use as a satellite office for some county government entities.

Now, PlanET, a regional partnership of East Tennessee communities in Anderson, Blount, Knox, Loudon, and Union counties, has selected Lake City as one of its so-called Demonstration Project sites. The program will be funded through the Plan East Tennessee Grant and leverage in-kind services from the East Tennessee Community Design Center, or ETCDC, and the University of Tennessee School of Agriculture. [Read more…]

Land bank could start with $100,000, dozen properties

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Lawton Road Land Bank Property

A duplex at this lot at 114-116 Lawton Road was demolished after an October fire, and the property could be turned over to a new Oak Ridge land bank.

A new Oak Ridge land bank could be started with $100,000, one donated lot, and eleven parcels where homes have been demolished or are being demolished.

Oak Ridge officials said the land bank program is a tool that can help the city return vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties to productive use, one of several initiatives to improve local housing.

The Oak Ridge City Council agreed in a 6-1 vote on Monday to set up the Oak Ridge Land Bank Corp., appropriate the funds and staff support required to create and start running the program, and transfer the available city-acquired properties. Council still has to approve the program on second and final reading in September. [Read more…]

Council approves expansion of residential rental inspection district

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Rental Property in Manhattan District Overlay

Rental properties in the Manhattan District Overlay could be registered and regularly inspected under a proposal unanimously approved in the first of two readings by the Oak Ridge City Council on Monday. The rental properties are pictured in red above. (Image courtesy of Oak Ridge city staff)

The ordinance was already on the books, and on Monday, city officials agreed to expand the area where inspections of rental homes are allowed to include most of the center of the city.

The expanded residential inspection district, which had originally applied to the Highland View Redevelopment Area, could include about 1,700 rental units.

The Oak Ridge City Council unanimously endorsed the expansion during a Monday night meeting. [Read more…]

Anderson committee recommends buying Lake City building

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Information from WYSH Radio

On Monday, the Anderson County Operations Committee voted 5-2 to recommend purchasing the former Bank of America building in Lake City for use as the new home of the Coal Miners Museum and some county government operations. The bank is asking $100,000 for the property, which supporters say will find a new purpose as not only the home of a museum honoring the area’s rich coal mining history, but also as a storehouse for excess county supplies due to its vault and as a satellite office for county departments, which would be able to make use of the existing drive-thru window.

The full County Commission will consider the committee’s recommendation when it meets Monday, Aug. 19.

Anderson Commission to consider new fees for inmates

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Information from WYSH Radio

As the Anderson County Commission continues to try and find ways to generate sufficient revenue to staff the jail expansion scheduled to open early next year, commissioners on Monday will consider several resolutions drafted by the county law director assessing new fees for inmates incarcerated at the county jail. Law Director Jay Yeager says the new fees are in line with state law and would help take the onus of housing the inmates off of the taxpayers and place it on the offenders themselves.

Some of the proposed fees include charging prisoners for their jail-issued clothing and toiletries as well as instituting medical and dental co-pays and fees for having a jailer escort an inmate to the hospital to visit a sick relative or to the funeral of someone in their immediate family. [Read more…]

BBB: Roane commission OKs school reserve expenditure

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Information from WYSH Radio

(BBB-TV) On Monday night, the Roane County Commission passed a resolution authorizing the School Board to use approximately half a million dollars from its reserve accounts to help keep the Alternative Education Facility open and keep extracurricular positions from being eliminated as well. It didn’t come without a grueling 45-minute discussion that included several questions from commissioners, who drilled School Superintendent Gary Aytes and school budget director Eric Harbin as to how they plan on to improve the system’s financial situation.

This year’s budget was balanced by making several deep cuts to make up a $1.5 million shortfall. Aytes said changes to the state Basic Education Program funding were the main reasons the school system had trouble balancing the budget, but also told the commission the board is looking at other systems in the area for innovative ideas to deal with future budget problems.

Record collections for Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, official says

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Tyler Mayes

H. Tyler Mayes

Anderson County Circuit Court Clerk Tyler Mayes announced on Monday that revenues in his office exceeded projections by nearly $400,000 in the fiscal year that ended June 30.

The total revenues budgeted for all revenue codes within the Circuit Court Clerk’s office was about $1.46 million, while the office brought in revenues of $1.86 million, Mayes said in a press release.

“The bulk of these excess revenues has been returned to the General Fund and will have a positive impact on the undesignated fund balance,” Mayes said. “Some revenues have designated uses by state law and are assigned to those specific expenditures.” [Read more…]

On first vote, Council prohibits animated videos, scrolling messages on electronic signs

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Oak Ridge High School Electronic Sign

The electronic sign at Oak Ridge High School is pictured above. (Photos courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The public debate gained notoriety in December with a dispute over an electronic sign featuring an animated Santa. After months of meetings and hours of discussions, it could be close to being resolved, although the community appears to remain divided.

On Monday night, the Oak Ridge City Council voted 4-3 to approve, in the first of two monthly votes, ordinance changes that would, among other things, prohibit videos or continuously scrolling messages on electronic signs, revisions that would presumably prevent an animated Santa.

The revised ordinance would require messages on the increasingly popular signs to be static and remain displayed for five seconds. The changes, which still have to be approved on second and final reading in September, would also govern signs used for sporting events, set maximum brightness levels, and require the displays to automatically dim through photo cell technology. [Read more…]

Punished by state, Applebee’s also gets city penalty for selling alcohol to minor

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Note: This story was updated at 6:40 a.m. Aug. 14.

The restaurant has already been punished by the state and lost thousands of dollars because of a five-day suspension of its liquor license after it sold beer to a minor in March, company representatives said.

Adding a municipal penalty would amount to double jeopardy for Applebee’s Neighborhood Bar and Grill, said Bobby Prince, the restaurant’s regional manager. [Read more…]

UT professors study dilemmas in sustaining red light camera programs

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Red Light Camera Study Table

This figure shows a list of measures and their effectiveness, safety impacts, and efficiency impacts. (Submitted image)

KNOXVILLE— It’s a common driving predicament: As you approach the intersection, the light is yellow. Do you hit the brakes or face a red light camera fine?

Some municipalities engineer their traffic signals to force drivers into this situation in an effort to generate revenue from the cameras.

Professors at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville have analyzed this issue to determine if traffic control measures intended to boost red light revenue—such as shortening yellow light time or increasing the speed limit on a street—compromise safety. [Read more…]

Council considers electronic signs, land bank, rental inspections

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Oak Ridge City Council

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider new regulations for electronic signs, expanding the city’s residential rental inspection district, and creating the first-ever land bank in Tennessee.

Oak Ridge officials could prohibit animated electronic signs, expand the city’s residential rental inspection district to include about 1,700 homes, and officially set up an Oak Ridge Land Bank Corp. during a Monday night meeting.

The Oak Ridge City Council will also consider approving contracts with economic development consultant Ray Evans and state lobbyist Bill Nolan, and terminating the lease on the building that once housed the Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic on Badger Road. Now partially empty, the split-level two-story building still houses the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association, and city officials said they haven’t decided what to do with it yet.

The Monday night City Council meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom. [Read more…]