Oak Ridge Today

Party in the Park features family-friendly fun, crime prevention, music, food on Saturday

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Neighborhood Watch Program Party

Oak Ridge Police Department Officer John Thomas, front left, invites children to meet one of the ORPD’s K-9s at last year’s crime prevention celebration. Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi is pictured at back left. (Submitted photo)

 

The first annual Party in the Park on Saturday will feature family-friendly activities for children and adults, crime prevention presentations and information, free food, and more. It’s scheduled from 2-6 p.m. Saturday, October 17, at A.K. Bissell Park near the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

The Oak Ridge Police Community Resource Office and the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program will host the 2015 Party in the Park, with activities celebrating the partnership between the community and the police department. The focus of the event is crime prevention, safety, health, and wellness.

Kristine Kinsey will serve as master of ceremonies and comedian. Magician Danny Whitson will perform feats of magic during the celebration. Festivities will also include Oak Ridge Police K-9 demonstrations, safety and health exhibits, Oak Ridge Electric Department bucket rides, and drug abuse prevention information. [Read more…]

City Council, BOE have joint work session on preschool on Oct. 20

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The Oak Ridge Board of Education and City Council have a joint work session on Tuesday, October 20, to hear an update on plans for the Oak Ridge Preschool.

The work session starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Municipal Building Courtroom. The two boards will receive an update from the Joint City/Schools Preschool Building Committee.

Applications available for city boards, commissions

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City of Oak Ridge Seal

The Oak Ridge City Clerk’s Office is currently accepting applications from interested citizens to serve as a member of a board and commission as part of the city’s end-of-year election.

This year’s application process is similar to previous years in that interested residents must complete a 2015 Boards and Commissions Application available on the City Clerk’s departmental website or by visiting www.oakridgetn.gov/online/cityclerk/bcelections.

Applicants may also attach additional documents that includes cover letters, references, and resumes to their application. The application allows residents to choose and rank their top three board choices for membership consideration.

Paper editions of the online application are also available in the City Clerk’s Office located in Room Number 109 in the Municipal Building.

Currently, the city is recruiting membership for 16 boards and commissions that include: [Read more…]

Legal Aid Society Community Award honors Anderson County Juvenile Court

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Oak Ridge Community Award and Anderson County Juvenile Court

Picture above from left to right are April Seiber (ACJC Lead Youth Services Officer), Sandy Slater (ACJC Youth Services Officer), Betsy Hunt (Judge Hunt’s wife), Judge Brian J. Hunt, Angie Perez (ACJC Judicial Assistant), Denise Casteel (ACJC Youth Services Officer), and Elizabeth Risner (ACJC Youth Services Officer). Not shown: Andrew Williams (ACJC Youth Services Officer) (Submitted photo)

 

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands’ Oak Ridge office honored Anderson County Juvenile Court Judge Brian J. Hunt and the staff of the Anderson County Juvenile Court with its inaugural Community Award at a reception on Tuesday, October 6, at CapitalMark Bank and Trust in Oak Ridge.

Legal Aid Society’s Community Award honors individuals and/or organizations in the community for their leadership and compassion in supporting the nonprofit law firm’s mission, a press release said.

More than 60 people, including Representative Kent Calfee, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark, former Mayor David Bradshaw (who hosted the event as President of CapitalMark Bank and Trust in Oak Ridge), United Way of Anderson County Executive Director Naomi Asher, and Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson celebrated Judge Hunt and the Anderson County Juvenile Court, or ACJC, for partnering with Legal Aid Society to advance access to justice among our region’s youth. [Read more…]

Grace Covenant Church has community meal today (Thursday, Oct. 15)

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Grace Covenant Church of Oak Ridge will serve its regular third Thursday community meal on Thursday, October 15, from 5-6 p.m.

The menu calls for creamy baked chicken, rice, salad, and dessert.

The meal is free, and all members of the community are welcome.

Please park in the church’s upper parking lot at 320 Robertsville Road, and follow the sidewalk to the Social Hall on the lower level, a press release said. Disabled parking only is available in the lower parking lot.

ORUUC rummage sale this weekend

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Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church

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Bargain hunters have come to rely on the low prices for much-needed or desired items at the upcoming Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church Rummage Sale. It will be held Friday, October 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, October 17, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. ORUUC is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Proceeds raised will help to support various ministries of the church.

Along with the necessities such as linens, kitchenware, small appliances, furniture, home décor items, clothing, shoes, and accessories for the entire family, there will be DVDs, CDs, children’s books, baby items, toys, tools, athletic equipment, plants, low-cost computers, and other electronic devices, all in working order.

Silent auction items including a work bench with a lathe, drill press, and grinder; table saws; pianos; and a brass bed frame. The Boutique will feature art, designer wear, and collectibles. Prices are doubled on Friday evening for the preview sale.

“Being advocates for recycling and repurposing, this sale saves items from loading our landfills, and instead finds a home with someone who can reuse it.” said Betsy Bauer, who for more than two decades has been the sale organizer.

For more information call the Church office at (865) 483-6761.

Sign up for Oct. 17 ACT Prep Workshop at Roane State’s Roane County campus

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Roane State Community College Harriman Campus

The main Roane State Community College campus in Harriman. The college also has a branch campus in Oak Ridge.

Students will learn hidden rules of the ACT during an ACT Prep Workshop on Saturday, October 17, presented by Roane State and SailAway Learning at the college’s Roane County campus in Harriman.

Seating is limited. Register soon.

Students will learn valuable test-taking tips and receive helpful review materials. According to data from SailAway Learning, 60 percent of those who took the workshop improved their overall score by at least one point.

The workshop will be held on Saturday, October 17, from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Roane County campus, 276 Patton Lane in Harriman. The cost is $55.

The $55 non-refundable fee is payable at registration. To register, go to roanestate.edu/ACTworkshop or call (865) 481-2031.

Sister City Support Organization has annual meeting Oct. 22

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The Sister City Support Organization has scheduled the annual meeting for Thursday, October 22, at 6:30 p.m. in the Robertsville Middle School cafeteria.

Buffalo Tours, the California agency that is coordinating the 25th anniversary trip to Japan in July, is sending a representative to preview the trip and take deposits. SCSO will also have a slide show of photos from the 2015 exchange with Naka shi, Japan; discuss recent developments in their relationship with Obninsk, Russia, and elect officers. A member of the Friendship Bell structure renovation committee will give a status report on this project.

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Middle School Exchange with Naka shi, Japan, the Sister City Support Organization is planning a visit to Naka and tour of Japan.

“We are inviting any interested Oak Ridgers to join us,” a press release said. “It is especially important that we have representatives of the Oak Ridge city government and schools, SCSO members, previous Naka middle school travelers and host families. This is your turn to have the ‘Naka experience’ that so many students have enjoyed for 25 years.” [Read more…]

Mayor Frank wants to serve as chair of AC Commission, sit with legislative body at meetings

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank wants to serve as chair of the County Commission, and she’s asked to be considered as a candidate in September 2016.

In an October 14 letter, Frank also asked commissioners to sit with them during meetings.

The proposals could be considered by the Anderson County Commission on Monday.

If she were commission chair, Frank said, she would have to surrender her veto power. She would have a non-voting position, but she would be able to cast a vote to break a tie.

“While this may seem a shocking proposal at first, I think we can look back over the history of Anderson County and see that the county mayor as chairman—or county executive or judge as the position used to be called—was an effective structure,” Frank said. [Read more…]

Some minor changes, but Main Street project still expected to open for Christmas 2016

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Main Street Oak Ridge Belk on March 2, 2015

Construction for the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall could start first near the Belk store, the city’s retail consultant said this month. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

There have been some minor changes to the plans, but the new developer at Main Street Oak Ridge still plans to open the retail-driven, mixed-use development by the Christmas 2016 holiday season, the city’s retail consultant said last week.

RealtyLink, the new South Carolina-based developer, took over as master developer in September, replacing Crosland Southeast, the firm that had led the redevelopment effort for more than two years.

Oak Ridge retail consultant Ray Evans said RealtyLink has a good relationship with Crosland, a North Carolina-based company.

“They have essentially picked up where Crosland left off,” Evans said.

RealtyLink has plans for about 60,000 more square feet of retail than Crosland did, giving the project a total of about 460,000 square feet of retail, including in the two remaining anchors, Belk and JCPenney. [Read more…]

County officials to ask for one-year extension on expiring courthouse lease

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Anderson County General Sessions Court Judge Roger Miller

First elected in August, Judge Roger Miller, left, is pictured in Anderson County General Sessions Court, Division II, in Oak Ridge before a bond hearing this summer. (2015 file photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today) 

 

CLINTON—Anderson County officials could ask for a one-year extension of the lease on the General Sessions Court, Division II, in Oak Ridge. The current lease expires at the end of the year, on December 31.

The county has an option to renew the lease for five years from January 1, 2016, through the end of 2021, but it’s not clear if officials want to do that. There are questions about whether they want to keep a courthouse in Oak Ridge, particularly if the City of Oak Ridge is not providing financial support. But if Division II court does stay in Oak Ridge, there is a question about whether it should remain at the current location at the former Oak Ridge Utility District building on Bus Terminal Road.

Officials have limited time, about 80 days, to weigh the alternatives before the lease expires, and there are holidays in the meantime, said Anderson County Commissioner Mark Alderson, who made a motion to seek a one-year lease extension during an Operations Committee meeting on Monday. The committee unanimously approved that proposal on a voice vote. [Read more…]

Report: Electronic monitoring program has saved $700,000

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PSI Reading Program

Anderson County General Sessions Judge Don Layton is pictured above at left and Chad McNabb, director of PSI Probation, is pictured at right. (File photo)

 

CLINTON—The Anderson County Electronic Monitoring Program has saved $714,090 since it started in May 2011, officials said Monday.

One hundred twenty-one defendants have participated in the monitoring program since it started, said Chad McNabb, director of PSI Probation in Clinton.

“Since the last update, the program has continued to operate at a high success rate while both saving taxpayer money and keeping the alleged victims of domestic violence safe,” McNabb said.

He said 78 defendants have served their sentences on house arrest, serving a total of 5,771 days.

“At an estimated cost of $65 per day to incarcerate an inmate, that saves the taxpayers of Anderson County $375,1150,” McNabb said. [Read more…]