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Football: Wildcats play Fulton in scrimmage Friday

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats will play the Fulton Falcons in a scrimmage on Blankenship Field on Friday.

The scrimmage is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Friday, July 30. Gates open at 5 p.m. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted. Concessions will be available, and T-shirts will be available for purchase, although the availability will be limited, football boosters said. Boosters said you can pickup pre-ordered shirts at the upper concession stand at 5 p.m.

“Come cheer us to victory with the Dance Cats and Wildcat Cheerleaders,” the boosters said.

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Mayor to discuss future of outdoor pool

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Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch will discuss the future of the outdoor pool on a local television show this evening.

The “Between The Lines” talk show is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, July 29, on BBB-TV, Comcast Channel 12. It will be online at bbbtv12.com and broadcast in Campbell County on Comcast Channel 230.

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Council to consider chlorine purchase Monday evening

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The Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road is pictured above. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge City Council will consider the purchase of up to about $60,000 worth of chlorine briquettes for the city’s outdoor pool on Providence Road this evening (Monday, July 12). Approval of the purchase would ensure that the large, unique pool can continue operating past mid-July, according to the city.

The purchase of the chlorine became controversial after Council member Rick Chinn, who is mayor pro tem (like a vice mayor), voted against the purchase of the briquettes last month. Chinn said he did not want to spend any more money on the pool. Residents and pool users responded with outrage, with hundreds of comments posted to social media. Some pledged to oppose Chinn’s re-election to Council next year.

Last month’s vote was for a sole-source purchase that hadn’t been released for a bid, possibly because the city’s supplier, Duffield Aquatics, had been identified as the sole provider in the region. The city uses Pulsar chlorinating briquettes supplied by Duffield Aquatics.

The sole-source purchase meant that last month’s vote required a unanimous vote. So, Chinn’s vote against the purchase meant it wasn’t approved.

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Manhattan Project: Paddle with a ranger, visit Freels Bend Cabin

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Paddle with a ranger on the Clinch River in Oak Ridge on Thursday evening, July 8, 2021. (Photo submitted by National Park Service)

You can paddle back in time to visit the historic Freels Bend Cabin and enjoy the beauty of the Clinch River this evening (Thursday, July 8) in Oak Ridge, a press release said.

Participants will learn more about the Manhattan Project as well as its impact on Oak Ridge and the surrounding areas, the press release said. The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II. Oak Ridge was part of the project. Only a few pre-war structures remain in the city, including Freels Bend Cabin.

“Together, we will visit the cabin, which was built and then remodeled during the 1800s by the Freels family of Anderson County,” said the press release from the National Park Service. “It has maintained its historical significance all these years and now resides on Department of Energy property.”

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City has chlorine to continue operating pool, receives bid to buy more

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The Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road is pictured above. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The City of Oak Ridge has enough chlorine to continue operating the outdoor pool until a new shipment arrives in mid-July, and the Oak Ridge City Council is expected to approve a single bid for chlorine briquettes during its July 12 meeting.

In June, City Council did not approve a sole-source contract to buy more chlorine briquettes after Oak Ridge City Council member Rick Chinn, who is mayor pro tem, objected to spending money on the pool. The sole-source contract required unanimous approval, so the one “no” vote meant the purchase was not approved.

Before the vote, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Director Jon Hetrick had told the seven-member Council that the city might have enough chlorine to last through the end of June and possibly into July. Running out of chemicals to treat the pool would result in having to shut it down, Hetrick said. However, in response to questions about a potential “break in service,” Hetrick said at that meeting that he didn’t have an accurate count of the amount of chlorine in stock at the pool.

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For members: Chinn opposes pool spending, affecting chlorine purchase

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The Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road is pictured above. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

Oak Ridge Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn, who proposed closing the city’s outdoor pool two years ago, objected to spending any money on the pool on Monday. That meant the city could not, at least for now, buy more chlorine for the large, unique pool on Providence Road, near Oak Ridge High School.

Before the vote, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Director Jon Hetrick had told the seven-member Council that the city might have enough chlorine to last through the end of June and possibly into July. “Then we would run out of chemicals to treat the pool, and we would have to shut the pool down,” Hetrick said.

A purchase considered by the Oak Ridge City Council on Monday would have allowed the city to buy up to $60,000 worth of chlorine briquettes from Duffield Aquatics of Anderson, South Carolina. The purchase would have included about $25,000 for a shipment in early July and a cushion because of a shortage in the chlorine supply.

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The Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road is pictured above. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

Oak Ridge Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn, who proposed closing the city’s outdoor pool two years ago, objected to spending any money on the pool on Monday. That meant the city could not, at least for now, buy more chlorine for the large, unique pool on Providence Road, near Oak Ridge High School.

Before the vote, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Director Jon Hetrick had told the seven-member Council that the city might have enough chlorine to last through the end of June and possibly into July. “Then we would run out of chemicals to treat the pool, and we would have to shut the pool down,” Hetrick said.

A purchase considered by the Oak Ridge City Council on Monday would have allowed the city to buy up to $60,000 worth of chlorine briquettes from Duffield Aquatics of Anderson, South Carolina. The purchase would have included about $25,000 for a shipment in early July and a cushion because of a shortage in the chlorine supply.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

Pro

Temporary

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!

Secret City Sprint Triathlon is Saturday

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The Secret City Sprint Triathlon is in Oak Ridge on Saturday from 7:30 to 10 a.m.

Participants will begin with a 500-meter swim in the outdoor pool before transitioning to bikes for the 15-mile ride to Imperium Drive in west Oak Ridge and back.

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Olympians finish first in time trial races in Oak Ridge

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Three Olympic athletes won first, second, and third place in the USA Cycling Pro Road Individual Time Trial Elite Women’s National Championships in Oak Ridge on Thursday, June 17, 2021. In first place was Chloé Dygert, center, of Brownsburg, Indiana. Finishing second, left, was Amber Neben of Irvine, California. In third place was Leah Thomas of Santa Clara, California. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Olympic athletes finished first in both the men and women’s divisions of USA Cycling time trial races in Oak Ridge on Thursday.

Olympians also won second and third place in the women’s division.

The 2021 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships are in Oak Ridge and Knoxville this week with the Individual Time Trial races in Oak Ridge on Thursday. It featured the Elite Women’s and Elite Men’s divisions racing against the clock on a 11.6-kilometer course (about 7.2 miles) on Melton Lake Drive. Racing continues in Knoxville on Friday, with a criterium occurring downtown Friday evening. There is a road race on Sunday.

Chloé Dygert of Brownsburg, Indiana, won first place in the Elite Women’s Division in the USA Cycling Pro Road Individual Time Trial National Championships races in Oak Ridge on Thursday, June 17, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Chloé Dygert of Brownsburg, Indiana, won first place in the Elite Women’s Division in the Individual Time Trial races in Oak Ridge on Thursday. She finished two laps of the course in 30:11.22. Dygert was the 2019 Time Trial World Champion.

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Olympians competing in USA Cycling races

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The USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships opened Thursday, June 27, 2019, on Melton Lake Drive with the Individual Time Trial events. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

Olympic athletes will be among the competitors in USA Cycling races in Oak Ridge on Thursday.

The Olympians expected to race Thursday include Lawson Craddock, Chloé Dygert, Amber Neben, and Lily Williams, according to Explore Oak Ridge, the city’s tourism organization.

Williams is scheduled to start at 10:07 a.m. Thursday. Dygert is scheduled to start at 10:35, and Neben is scheduled to start at 10:39.

The races are the USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships Time Trials. The riders will be racing against the clock to see who can complete the course along Melton Lake the fastest.

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Help clean up East Fork Poplar Creek Greenway

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Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning and partners Clinch Valley Trails Alliance and Oak Ridge Greenways are sponsoring the second annual trash cleanup and hike on the East Fork Poplar Creek Greenway on Saturday, June 12, 2021. (Image by TCWP)

Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning and partners Clinch Valley Trails Alliance and Oak Ridge Greenways are sponsoring the second annual trash cleanup and hike on the East Fork Poplar Creek Greenway.

“This wonderful new trail, developed by CVTA and Greenways Oak Ridge, was recently completed along the banks of East Fork Poplar Creek in west Oak Ridge,” TCWP said. “The trail meanders through a nice riparian woodland along the creek. This trail is subject to occasional flooding, and help is needed to remove litter left behind by the water. There are also a lot of old tires and other debris that have washed from places upstream.”

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Lifeguard shortage affects Oak Ridge pool hours

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The Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road is pictured above. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

A nationwide lifeguard shortage is affecting the hours that Oak Ridge’s municipal pools will be open this summer, the city said in a press release Monday.

“Due to the lower number of lifeguards this year, there are not enough people to staff both pools for the same hours they were open in previous seasons,” Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Aquatics Manager Vonda Wooten said in the press release.

The indoor pool at the Civic Center will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Swim lessons are from 9 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., the press release said. Open lap is from 12:15 p.m. to 4 p.m.

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USA Cycling Championships in Oak Ridge, Knoxville next week

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Two years ago, the USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships opened Thursday, June 27, 2019, on Melton Lake Drive with the Individual Time Trial events. (File photo by Julio Culiat)

The USA Cycling National Pro Road, Criterium, and Time Trial Championships will be in Oak Ridge and Knoxville next week, June 17-20.

Oak Ridge will host the ITT (Individual Time Trial) National Championships for the third time in partnership with Visit Knoxville, a press release said.

The National Championships are scheduled just before the 2021 Olympics in Japan, where several Olympic athletes are expected to compete.

“This is an exciting time for Oak Ridge as we continue to show our natural assets and city to competitors from all over the world”, Hannah Fatheree, event manager for Explore Oak Ridge said in the press release. “We are grateful to the residents and visitors of Oak Ridge for their patience with traffic impacts and hope everyone comes out to watch the time trials.”

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