Oak Ridge Today

AMSE foundation, park superintendent create fund for Manhattan Project Park in Oak Ridge

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Wayne Stevenson, left, and Niki Nicholas sign an agreement to create a Friends of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park—Oak Ridge fund account. (Photo submitted by D. Ray Smith)

 

By D. Ray Smith

The American Museum of Science and Energy Foundation is pleased to partner with the Manhattan Project National Historical Park—Oak Ridge by creating a fund in which tax-deductible contributions can be received to support the specific and defined needs of one of the nation’s newest national parks.

As you may know, funding for the new park will be somewhat limited, as is funding for all our nation’s national parks. The amount planned for Fiscal Year 2016 is $180,000, which will cover the salary requirements of a superintendent and will begin the master planning initiative necessary to begin effective operations of the national park at three sites: Los Alamos, New Mexico; Hanford, Washington; and Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

We, in Oak Ridge, are fortunate to have Niki Nicholas, superintendent of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area and of the Obed Wild and Scenic River, as the person the National Park Service has selected to manage the Manhattan Project National Historical Park—Oak Ridge. Ms. Nicholas is a dedicated professional with substantial experience managing national park units. [Read more…]

ETEC presents 2015 Muddy Boot Awards, Postma Young Professional Medal

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Tennessee Deputy Governor Jim Henry, left, received one of two 2015 Muddy Boot Awards on Friday, Dec. 11, 2015. Also pictured are presenter Ron Woody, Roane County executive, second from right; Roane State Community College President Chris Whaley, second from left; and Roane Alliance President Wade Creswell. (DOE photo by Lynn Freeny)

 

Submitted

Two titans of East Tennessee’s business community were honored Friday with the Muddy Boot Award, given by the East Tennessee Economic Council in an ongoing tribute to individuals who, through their work and activities, build a better community.

This year’s honorees are Jim Henry, deputy governor of the State of Tennessee, a former businessman, legislator, and mayor of Roane County; and Dan Hurst, founder of StrataG, an East Tennessee entrepreneurial company and activist in numerous organizations across the region.

The Council also presented the Postma Young Professional Medal to Ann Weaver, a facilities engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Anne Harrington, deputy administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, keynoted the event, which was held at the Doubletree Hotel in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Reminder: Oak Ridge Christmas Parade is today

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Oak Ridge Christmas Parade Train

A float at the Oak Ridge Christmas Parade is pictured above. (Photo by D. Ray Smith)

 

Reminder: The annual Christmas Parade organized by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is today (Saturday, December 12). This year’s theme is “Winter Wonderland,” and it promises to provide spectators with plenty of music, lights, and beautiful floats, a press release said.

The parade will start at 6 p.m. December 12, and it will begin at Corporate Center, on the corner of Lafayette and Laboratory Road. From there, the parade will travel down Lafayette to the Oak Ridge Turnpike. It will continue west on the Turnpike to Oak Ridge High School. The judge’s stand will be located in front of the Chamber.

See previous story here.

Oak Ridge police seize more than 70 pounds of marijuana

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Nicholas Ryan Salpas

Nicholas Ryan Salpas

With help from other agencies, the Oak Ridge Police Department seized more than 70 pounds of marijuana on Wednesday, authorities said.

Police searched a home on Carlisle Lane in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, December 9, with help from the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

They seized more than 70 pounds of marijuana in vacuum-sealed bags, as well as one vacuum-sealed bag of suspected concentrated THC resin, a press release said.

Nicholas Salpas, 30, the resident and sole occupant of the home at 102 Carlisle Lane, was arrested at the scene, the release said. He was charged with three counts of manufacture, delivery, sale, or possession of a controlled substance, with an enhancement for this activity occurring within a drug-free school zone; possession of drug paraphernalia; theft of property; and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. [Read more…]

City moving to radar-based systems to detect vehicles at stoplights

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Stoplight-Radar-Detection-Dec-11-2015

Radar-based traffic detectors can replace in-pavement loops used to detect vehicles at stoplights, and the City of Oak Ridge has long-term plans to move to the radar systems. Above is a radar detector at Oak Ridge Turnpike and West Main Street, in front of Walgreen’s, on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Radar-based traffic detectors at six intersections in Oak Ridge can replace in-pavement loops used to detect vehicles at stoplights, and the city has long-term plans to move to the radar-based systems.

The detectors will be installed on the new stoplight on Oak Ridge Turnpike in front of Oak Ridge High School. They are also included in a plan to improve two intersections on Oak Ridge Turnpike, one at South Tulane Avenue and the other at East Division Road/Tennyson Road.

“We have kind of adopted them because they just work,” said Jon van Eek, power utilization program supervisor in the Oak Ridge Electric Department.

The city has previously tried video detection systems and microwave systems. The video systems did not work well in heavy rain and fog, and had some angle of light issues, according to van Eek and Oak Ridge Electric Director Jack Suggs.

“It was not reliable,” van Eek said Friday. [Read more…]

New stoplight at ORHS could start flashing next week, begin operating Dec. 30

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The new stoplight on Oak Ridge Turnpike between Oak Ridge High School and the Oak Ridge Civic Center could start flashing next week and begin operating on Dec. 30, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The new stoplight on Oak Ridge Turnpike could start flashing next week and begin operating on December 30, a city official said. The new stoplight is between Oak Ridge High School and Oak Ridge Civic Center.

City officials want to start operating the stoplight while school is out, said Roger Flynn, director of the Oak Ridge Public Works Department.

The light poles and power have been installed, but the lights themselves still need to be hung and work on signs for the traffic light is under way. [Read more…]

Clinton man dies after two-vehicle crash on Oak Ridge Turnpike

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Oak Ridge Police Department Logo

A Clinton man died after a two-vehicle crash on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Thursday, authorities said.

The crash was reported at about 8:22 p.m. Thursday, December 10, at the intersection of the Turnpike and Wisconsin Avenue, the Oak Ridge Police Department said.

Charles Edward Smith, 75, of Clinton was extricated from his vehicle by the Oak Ridge Fire Department and flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center by a UT Lifestar medical helicopter. He later died from his injuries, the ORPD said.

Smith had been driving a 2012 Volkswagen.

The second vehicle, a 1998 Cadillac, was driven by Janet Eileen Kelley, 61, of Harriman. Kelley was treated at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.

The investigation remains ongoing and no further details will be released at this time, the ORPD said.

City receives $433K grant for traffic signal, pedestrian improvements at two intersections

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A $433,000 grant awarded to the City of Oak Ridge would be used to make traffic signal and pedestrian improvements at two intersections on Oak Ridge Turnpike, including at South Tulane Avenue. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge has received a $433,000 grant for improvements at two intersections on Oak Ridge Turnpike, one at South Tulane Avenue and the other at East Division Road/Tennyson Road. The improvements, which require a 20 percent local match of roughly $108,000, will include marked crosswalks, ramps, and upgrades to help pedestrians.

The project will include traffic signal and pedestrian feature upgrades at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Tulane Avenue, between the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce and Oak Ridge Municipal Building. The upgrades will include the addition of handicap ramps, crosswalks, countdown pedestrian signals with push buttons, and radar vehicle detection, Oak Ridge Community Development Director Kathryn Baldwin said in a December 1 memo to City Manager Mark Watson. A traffic signal pole will be relocated to avoid conflicts with overhead utilities.

Improvements at East Division Road/Tennyson Road, near Methodist Medical Center, will include the addition of handicap ramps, crosswalks, and countdown pedestrian signals with push buttons and radar vehicle detection. Sidewalks could be added where there are gaps or where new handicap ramps are disconnected from existing sidewalks, Baldwin said. [Read more…]

Council to consider $325,000 for operations at Centennial Golf Course

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Centennial Golf Course Dec 10, 2015

The Tennessee Centennial Golf Course in Oak Ridge is pictured above on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider a $325,000 transfer for operations at Tennessee Centennial Golf Course. If approved, the operating transfer would be the first non-debt related transfer from the city’s General Fund to the Golf Course Fund since the golf course was built, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said.

About $225,000 of the transfer, a cash infusion, would be for outstanding accounts payable. Another $100,000 would be operational funding for the winter, including maintenance of the greens.

The General Fund would still have a balance equivalent to two months of operations after the transfer, Watson said in a memo to City Council members.

Watson said the golf course was affected by several factors this past year, most notably weather. [Read more…]

D. Ray Smith could be named honorary city historian

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Bill Wilcox and Ray Smith

Bill Wilcox, right, and D. Ray Smith are pictured above. Wilcox was city historian before he died in 2013, and Smith, a friend of Wilcox’s, could be named honorary city historian during an Oak Ridge City Council meeting on Monday, Dec. 14, 2015. (Submitted photo)

 

D. Ray Smith, who is known for his love of Oak Ridge history, could be named honorary city historian on Monday.

Among other activities, Smith is historian at the Y-12 National Security Complex, has been a guide on U.S. Department of Energy tour buses at federal sites in Oak Ridge, writes a weekly newspaper history column, testified before Congress on the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, and frequently photographs community events.

The Oak Ridge City Council will consider naming Smith as honorary city historian during a regular meeting on Monday.

Oak Ridge City Council member Charlie Hensley drafted the proposal. He said Smith is also a leader in the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association, has been a featured speaker in talks on Oak Ridge heritage, was central to creating a history center at Y-12’s New Hope Center, and serves in a support role for implementation of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. [Read more…]

Wicks appointed Criminal Court judge in 9th District, which includes Roane

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Jeffery-Wicks

Jeffery H. Wicks

NASHVILLE—Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam on Thursday appointed Jeffery H. Wicks of Rockwood as Criminal Court judge for the Ninth Judicial District, replacing Judge E. Eugene Eblen, who is retiring effective December 31.

The Ninth Judicial District serves Loudon, Meigs, Morgan, and Roane counties.

Wicks, 52, has served as General Sessions Court judge in Roane County since 2006. He was an attorney in Kingston from 2003 to 2006, operating a law practice that included criminal, civil domestic, juvenile, and probate matters, a press release said.

“We are fortunate to have a public servant with such a depth of experience as Judge Wicks to fill this role,” Haslam said. “He will serve the Ninth Judicial District well in this capacity.” [Read more…]

AAUW has fundraising holiday tea on Sunday, Dec. 13

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AAUW-Holiday-Tea

AAUW members Joanne King, Mayme Crowell, and Fay Martin are
among the hosts for the AAUW Holiday Green Tea Sunday, Dec.
13, 2015, from 3-5 p.m. in Room 102 of the Oak Ridge First Presbyterian
Church activities Building. (Submitted photo)

 

The AAUW Holiday Green Tea on Sunday will help raise money for scholarships for non-traditional female students; national fellowships, scholarships, and grants; and the AAUW Oak Ridge Branch’s Operating Fund.

The tea is scheduled from 3-5 p.m. Sunday, December 13, in Room 102 of the First Presbyterian Church Activities Building in Oak Ridge, a press release said.

Funds raised from the tea will go to the Local Education Projects Fund, which provides scholarship for non-traditional women students at Roane State Community College; the tax-deductible AAUW Educational Opportunities Fund, which provides national fellowships, scholarships and grants; and the AAUW Oak Ridge Branch’s Operating Fund. [Read more…]