Oak Ridge Today

Letter: Chamber task force did not choose to ‘weigh in’ on traffic cameras

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Note: The following letter was written in response to an earlier letter on traffic cameras by Oak Ridge resident T.J. Garland.

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce “weighs in” on issues of importance determined by a Pro-growth Advocacy Task Force, which recommends positions to the Chamber’s member-led Board of Directors. That task force did not choose to address the traffic camera issue and instead focused on other important matters such as widening Edgemoor Road, moving copy signs, and STEM education.

The City of Oak Ridge provides no operating funds to the Chamber. Those are provided through the financial support of our members. [Read more…]

Letter: Why didn’t Chamber ‘weigh in’ on red-light camera debate?

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To the Editor:

What is curious about the red-light camera debate is the fact that the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce did not weigh in. It is supposed to recruit and lobby for small businesses.

Not a single business in Oak Ridge, when asked, refused to sign our petition against the cameras. They knew that the cameras hurt their bottom line.

The Chamber appears to spend its time and budget on wooing the large government contracters from out of state. They seem uninterested in local start-ups and successes. [Read more…]

Guest column: Y-12, Pantex transition update

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Jim Haynes

Jim Haynes

Note: This is a copy of a March 20 transition update for employees at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge and Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas. It’s posted on the Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC transition website.

By Jim Haynes

It has been a very busy two weeks for the Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) transition team. We are proceeding full speed ahead. Among other activities last week, we had a very informative series of 36 briefings over three days with the incumbent Pantex and Y-12 management teams designed to help us better understand the current site organizations. Also, dozens of other meetings have been held at Pantex and Y-12.

I spent time at both sites last week, including a visit with Pantex Plant management at their Integrated Plan of the Day meeting. As I visit the sites, I more fully appreciate your professionalism and support—you truly are making a difference for our nation. I look forward to interacting with more of you over the coming weeks.

Over the last two weeks, I have also met with a significant number of community stakeholders in Amarillo and Oak Ridge, and will continue to do so as we introduce additional members of our leadership team and announce our plans. Our host communities are proud of your service, and proud to host the national assets that are Pantex and Y-12. We will continue to make them proud.

During my visits, I have been asked about our name, Consolidated Nuclear Security. I am happy to answer that question because we were very thoughtful in developing a name for our enterprise that accurately describes who we are and what we will do. [Read more…]

Guest column: School safety update

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Trina Baughn

Trina Baughn

Since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Oak Ridge Schools and the Oak Ridge Police Department (ORPD) last August, a number of significant safety improvements have occurred within our schools including physical security upgrades, leadership adjustments, and increased police presence.

As you may know, this time last year, we had only one School Resource Officer (SRO) covering our entire school district. Now we have two full time SROs, two Support Services Unit (SSU) officers manning satellite offices, and the Adopt-a-Cop program, which provides officer time in all of our schools via daily check-ins. A third satellite office is in the works as ORPD Chief Jim Akagi and Superintendent Bruce Borchers are presently working on stationing an SSU officer at Robertsville Middle School.

Chief Akagi recently invited me to join our SROs on a walk-along at the high school to personally observe the impact of these changes. He also encouraged me to tag along with our S.W.A.T. team during a threat assessment exercise. I took him up on both offers and, as a result, am sharing what I learned. [Read more…]

Guest column: Analysis of traffic camera information

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By Dale Gedcke

The referenced documents were downloaded from the Oak Ridge City Council posting in advance of the (Feb. 24) work session. The numbers quoted below were calculated from the data supplied in the referenced report.

Accident Rates During 2013

Using the total crashes listed in the report, and the number of detected vehicles through the pertinent camera locations from both directions, the accident rates during 2013 were:

  • Oak Ridge Turnpike at Civic Center: 2.58 accidents per million vehicles
  • North Illinois Avenue at Robertsville Road: 0.90 accidents per million vehicles
  • Oak Ridge Turnpike at Lafayette Drive/New York Avenue: 1.8 accidents per million vehicles
  • Robertsville Road at Iroquois Avenue/Willow Brook School: 0.00 accidents per million vehicles
  • Total of all four locations: 1.68 accidents per million vehicles [Read more…]

Letter: Council should defer new traffic light decision

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To the Editor:

Recently the City of Oak Ridge announced plans to employ an engineering firm to evaluate “signalized” traffic flow, with the stated purpose of ensuring optimum traffic flow, to minimize and reduce traffic-related air pollution in the central parts of the city.

This has been touted as a forward-thinking “green” initiative, proof of Oak Ridge’s commitment to a clean urban environment.

Now Oak Ridge is proposing yet another traffic signal on the Turnpike, with the vote to approve scheduled for March 24. Adding another signal on the Turnpike will likely add to the ground-level air pollution, smack-dab in the midst of ORHS and the Civic Center. [Read more…]

Guest column: Watson responds to Abbatiello’s column on budgeting, property taxes

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Mark Watson

Mark Watson

By Mark Watson

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watston responded Thursday to a guest column by former City Council member Leonard Abbatiello on budgeting and property taxes.

I have reviewed the comments from Mr. Abbatiello for the paper. There are a couple of clarifications that need to be made in his comments, but generally “matching” our budget cycles with various Tennessee or federal cycles is good. Oak Ridge is the earliest in the state at present time. Hohenwald and Memphis has a collection period beginning July 1. Morristown, Crossville, and Norris have a period beginning Aug. 1. Alcoa, Maryville, Johnson City, Dyersburg, Newbern, and Sardis have a collection period beginning Sept. 1.

Perhaps most importantly (as Mr. Abbatiello knows), June is the month of tax appeals. At present, we have various changes that occur during that month after our June 1 collection period. This causes a number of administrative changes, which do have a cost, so a shift in the calendar would avoid some of this administration, especially during a reappraisal (next one in 2015). [Read more…]

Guest column: Budgeting and property taxes, why are we different?

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By Leonard Abbatiello

As a matter of convenience to the Oak Ridge Board of Education, the city is getting ready to change the budgeting cycle and the Oak Ridge property tax due and delinquent dates. The city-proposed changes are only a partial band-aid. No one has considered the taxpayer, or the impact of what is best for everyone. 

Early in Oak Ridge’s municipal history, the city had the State of Tennessee legislature pass a private law and a local ordinance which made it possible for Oak Ridge to tax its businesses and citizens much earlier than any other government in Tennessee. It was cash-flow strapped and it then sought state relief to force earlier federal payments. This created a budget cycle that required Oak Ridgers to pre-pay property taxes rather than pay-as-you-go, which happens in the rest of Tennessee.

Today, Oak Ridge is the only Tennessee government which sets its budget and property tax rate in May, its tax bill payments due date is June 1, and the late tax payment date now is July 31 annually. This makes us pre-pay our property taxes and forces early budget decisions. [Read more…]

Guest column: Parents, staff again choose balanced school calendar

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Christopher J. Marczak

Christopher J. Marczak

By Chris Marczak

The second calendar voting for the Oak Ridge 2015-16 results have been counted.

Parents and staff members were called on March 13 and asked if they preferred a balanced calendar or a traditional calendar for all schools including Willow Brook and the PreSchool for the 2015-16 school year. The first vote callout took place Feb. 10.

The traditional calendar is the calendar that most of the Oak Ridge Schools have had for quite a while. Students come to school in the middle of August, have a one-week fall break, two weeks off for winter, a one-week spring break, dismissal at the beginning of June, and an 11- to 12-week summer.

The balanced calendar is a new calendar that Oak Ridge has never had before. It is called a balanced calendar due to the balance that it gives for instructional time in the classroom—about nine weeks at a time. Students typically arrive for school the first week in August, have a two-week fall break, two weeks off for winter, two weeks off for spring break, dismissal at the beginning of June, and a seven- to eight-week summer. The balanced calendar is not like the Willow Brook Elementary or PreSchool calendar where students start school in mid-July and have three-week breaks. [Read more…]

Guest column: Saint Patrick’s day thoughts

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John Ragan

John Ragan

About 1,500 years ago, pirates forced a teenage boy from his home in Britain and enslaved him in pagan Ireland. He lived there six years, toiling at the whim of his masters. His name was Patrick.

Patrick’s masters believed they had the right to demand his labor and services whether he agreed or not. He was their slave. But Patrick rebelled against the injustice of bondage, escaping and completing a perilous journey back to his home.

Years later, he answered a call to the clergy and nobly returned to the land of his enslavement—on a mission to spread Christianity. His preaching and life example were so powerful that, by popular approval, he came to be regarded as the patron saint of Ireland. That regard and tradition continue to this day. [Read more…]

Guest column: A visit to the Medford Volunteer Fire Department

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Robin Biloski

Robin Biloski

Oak Ridgers have a first-rate fire department funded through our tax dollars. So I realized as the newly elected chairperson for the Anderson County Fire Commission (and the first commission chair from Oak Ridge), I needed to educate myself in the workings of our volunteer fire departments. I was pleased after my first meeting; the volunteers at Medford quickly invited me to come out for a visit. What a valuable educational process I encountered in my visit.

The Medford community is located between Lake City and Clinton on Route 25W. These dedicated folks meet every Thursday evening to discuss relevant issues, do “training” on equipment, and check trucks. This volunteer crew has about 33 members, not including their Junior Fire volunteers. I was quite impressed that in order to be part of the Junior Crew, you must maintain a certain grade point average. I learned some have been volunteers for over 40 years, and the camaraderie they all share for helping their community, pride in all they do on very limited funds, and love of God which guides them through their dedication.

They appreciate the $20,000 donation county government gives them yearly and try to fill in voids for possible grants that might come along, but still embark on other fundraisers just to stay afloat in their service: concession of food sales at events, “Boot Drives,” and their famous Chili Supper/Auction, which I attended Feb. 22. Those men and women served over 500 people a fabulous meal and gathered items for an auction for desperately needed funds. It was certainly something to behold! They can count me in to be there every year as what fun I had meeting all the great folks in that part of Anderson County! [Read more…]

Guest column: Schools ask for second vote on calendars

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Christopher J. Marczak

Christopher J. Marczak

By Chris Marczak

We want your vote..one more time! The Oak Ridge Board of Education has asked for one more community vote for the two calendars that are being proposed for the Oak Ridge School system starting for the 2015-16 school year.

The first vote collected on Feb. 10 showed English-speaking parents favored the balanced calendar 1,094 to 183; Spanish-speaking families were split down the middle with a 43-to-43 vote; and staff favored the balanced calendar 395 to 176.

The two calendars being proposed are called a traditional calendar and a balanced calendar. Both of these proposed calendars have been looked at and discussed by the district’s Curriculum and Instruction team; a district Calendar Committee comprised of teachers and administrators; the Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Board made up of parents from all schools; Superintendent Bruce Borchers; and me. Both calendars give staff and parents a choice in the type of calendar they want for the children of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]