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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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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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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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.
[Read more…]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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The City of Oak Ridge made its last debt payment for Tennessee Centennial Golf Course on Tuesday, and monthly revenues increased at the golf course last year and are up significantly so far this year.
Oak Ridge Today had reported in late 2015 that the city still owed about $3 million in debt-related bond payments on the golf course, and it was expected to be paid off in five years.
The Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool opens for the season beginning Memorial Day weekend.
The pool will be open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 29, through Monday, May 31, a press release said. Beginning June 1, summer hours will be in effect. Public swim is Monday through Friday from noon to 7 p.m., Wednesday nights from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The pool will also be open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to noon for 100-meter lap swim.
“As a reminder, areas of the pool may be closed at times depending on activities, attendance, and staffing,” the press release said. “The kiddie pool will remain closed this season for repairs.”
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Roane State Community College is re-opening its Expo Center in Harriman in phases.
The Henry/Stafford East Tennessee Agricultural Exposition Center is located on the Roane County campus in Harriman.
Beginning Wednesday, March 17, public riding will be offered by reservation only at the outdoor arena, a press release said.
Beginning Thursday, April 1, events will be permitted to resume at all Expo Center facilities, both indoor and outdoor.
The most up-to-date bookings will be posted on the online event calendar at roanestate.edu/expo.
[Read more…]The Tennessee Valley Authority will temporarily lower Melton Hill Reservoir two to four feet to help property owners with their annual spring-cleaning activities, a press release said.
From Saturday, March 20, through Saturday, March 28, TVA will hold the reservoir between 790 and 792 feet to support dock repairs, shoreline stabilization, and litter pick up, the press release said.
TVA will return Melton Hill to its normal winter elevation of 794 feet by April 1.
[Read more…]The opening round of the USA Cycling National Downhill Series began at Windrock Park this week. It started Wednesday with the Tennessee National event. There are downhill and enduro races scheduled for this weekend.
“Some of the best riders in the world will tackle one of the toughest courses in the United States in the first competition of the year for the series,” a press release said. “Huge jumps and high speed descents are expected as pros ‘ride the rock” this week.”
The press release said a Red Bull Freestyle Jam on Friday was expected to be a highlight for riders and spectators, including a big air competition with prizes for best trick and best whip.
Keynote competitive events this week include a pro downhill final at noon Saturday and a pro enduro race on Sunday.
[Read more…]The Secret City Half Marathon and 5K is in Oak Ridge on Saturday, and there will be some lane closures on city streets.
Registrations for the 5K are full, and there are fewer than 30 registrations left for the in-person half marathon, a press release said.
There is no limit for registrations for the virtual race, the press release said.
It’s a rare in-person half marathon in 2020, the release said. On race day, a time trial-style start will help ensure social distancing among the runners, after a temperature check for participants, the press release said.
More than 750 runners and walkers are expected to race, and the lane closures on city streets are to accommodate the competitors.
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The Oak Ridge City Council last week approved a $175,000 settlement to resolve a dispute between the city and Billy Casper Golf Management over the termination of the agreement to manage Centennial Golf Course.
The city owns the golf course, which is in east Oak Ridge. The city notified Billy Casper Golf Management in October 2017 that it was going to terminate the management agreement “for cause,” Oak Ridge City Attorney Ken Krushenski said in a memo to Council. But Billy Casper Golf Management contested the termination of the agreement, and the company’s attorney claimed that the city owed more than $520,000 in termination fees, Krushenski said.
The two sides negotiated, and the management company accepted the city’s offer of $175,000 to settle all claims, Krushenski said.
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