Oak Ridge Today

Public Works director: Shifting soils can cause water line breaks

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An Oak Ridge Public Works Department crew repairs a broken water line underneath Northwestern Avenue near Nevada Circle at lunchtime Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018. The crew here is supervised by Oak Ridge Public Works Department Utility Line Maintenance Crew Chief Michael Brown. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

An Oak Ridge Public Works Department crew repairs a broken water line underneath Northwestern Avenue near Nevada Circle at lunchtime Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018. The crew here is supervised by Oak Ridge Public Works Department Utility Line Maintenance Crew Chief Michael Brown, left. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Soils can shift during extended periods of cold weather, which can cause water lines to break, Oak Ridge Public Works Director Shira McWaters said Tuesday.

On Monday, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson told City Council members that crews had responded to 35 water main breaks since January 1, an average of about five per day.

“It is not unusual for water systems (nationwide) to experience above-average breaks during extended cold weather periods when the ground starts to freeze and the subsequent thawing when warm weather returns,” McWaters said when asked about the water line breaks on Tuesday. “This is due to the shifting of soils that can cause the breaks.”

In Oak Ridge, the age of the municipal water system is a factor in the frequency of the breaks because many of the lines are older and reaching the end of their useful life, McWaters said. [Read more…]

Death-penalty defendant to be taken to psychiatric hospital

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Valerie Stenson

Valerie Stenson

 

The Oak Ridge grandmother facing the death penalty in a first-degree murder case will be taken to a psychiatric hospital where her competency and mental health can be evaluated, according to Anderson County court records.

The defendant, Valerie Stenson, 53, is currently being held at the Tennessee Prison for Women in Nashville. She will be taken to Moccasin Bend Psychiatric Hospital in Chattanooga for an intake scheduled for 1:30 p.m. January 17, according to an order filed in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on Wednesday, January 3.

A two-week trial for Stenson had been scheduled for December 2017, but it was canceled and a mental health evaluation was ordered. It’s not clear if or when the trial will be rescheduled.

Court orders filed in August and October called for a psychiatric evaluation of Stenson and a referral to Moccasin Bend, where experts can determine her competency to stand trial and her mental condition at the time of the crime (the insanity defense). [Read more…]

AMSE could move into new location in June

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An artist's rendering of the entrance at the new American Museum of Science and Energy at Main Street Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/U.S. Department of Energy)

An artist’s rendering of the entrance to the new American Museum of Science and Energy at Main Street Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/U.S. Department of Energy)

 

The American Museum of Science and Energy could move into its new location at Main Street Oak Ridge in June, officials said Tuesday.

Crews began work on Friday and “increased activity can be expected in the area over the coming weeks as construction progresses,” a press release said.

RealtyLink, the South Carolina company developing Main Street Oak Ridge, selected Oak Ridge-based Summit Construction as the contractor for the project, the press release said.

The start of construction was announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office and the City of Oak Ridge.

The new space for AMSE is located between the current JCPenney store and a future Marriott hotel, which is also under construction. The museum entrance will be on Main Street East. AMSE will be all on one floor, occupying approximately 18,000 square feet. [Read more…]

Council approves rezoning at site where Taco Bell could be built

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A Taco Bell restaurant could be built on the property that now houses Anderson County General Sessions Court, Division II, at the intersection of Bus Terminal Road and Oak Ridge Turnpike. A rezoning has been requested for the 1.1-acre site by Tacala TN Corporation of Vestavia Hills, Alabama. The rezoning request will be considered by the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom.

A Taco Bell restaurant could be built on the property that now houses Anderson County General Sessions Court, Division II, at the intersection of Bus Terminal Road and Oak Ridge Turnpike. A rezoning has been requested for the 1.1-acre site by Tacala TN Corporation of Vestavia Hills, Alabama. The rezoning request was approved by Oak Ridge City Council in the first of two monthly readings, or meetings, on Monday, Jan. 8, 2018.

 

Although they didn’t approve a specific development, the Oak Ridge City Council on Monday approved a rezoning that could allow a Taco Bell restaurant with a drive-through on property that now houses a courthouse at the intersection of Bus Terminal Road and Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Council was approving a rezoning only. Any specific proposal to develop the property would undergo the city’s normal site review.

The 1.1-acre site is now home to Anderson County General Sessions Court, Division II, which is expected to move soon to a county-owned building that once housed the Daniel Arthur Rehabilitation Center on Emory Valley Road.

The rezoning has been requested by Tacala TN Corporation of Vestavia Hills, Alabama. The rezoning would change the property from an O-2 Office District to a B-2 General Business District. Restaurants are allowed as special exceptions in the O-2 district, as long as there is no drive-through, Oak Ridge Community Development Senior Planner Kelly Duggan said in a December 18 memo to City Manager Mark Watson. B-2 districts allow drive-through restaurants “by right,” Duggan said. [Read more…]

ORPD: Roads slippery, crashes reported, Key Springs closed

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Slow down, and use caution, the Oak Ridge Police Department said Monday morning, Jan. 8, 2018. "Roads are very slick. Stay home if you don’t need to be out." Several crashes have already been reported this morning, and Key Springs Road, which goes down into Marlow, has been closed. (Photo courtesy ORPD)

Slow down, and use caution, the Oak Ridge Police Department said Monday morning, Jan. 8, 2018. “Roads are very slick. Stay home if you don’t need to be out.” Several crashes have already been reported this morning, and Key Springs Road, which goes down into Marlow, has been closed. (Photo courtesy ORPD)

 

Roads are slippery, several crashes have been reported, and Key Springs Road, which goes down into Marlow, has been closed, the Oak Ridge Police Department said Monday morning.

“Roads are very slick in Oak Ridge,” the ORPD said. “If you must drive, slow down and use caution! Stay home if you don’t need to be out.”

The icy conditions had led school systems to close—including in Oak Ridge, Anderson County, Clinton, and Roane County—and some organization opened late, including the City of Oak Ridge and Roane County Courthouse. The Anderson County Courthouse is closed, and so is Roane State Community College. [Read more…]

Roads icy: Oak Ridge Schools, Roane State closed today

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A tractor-trailer jack-knifed on Interstate 40 West at mile marker 349 in Roane County. That roadway is closed, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said. I-40 East at MM 349 has one lane open. Roads are very icy in this area, TDOT said Monday morning, Jan. 8, 2018. The Oak Ridge/Gallaher Road exit is Exit 356. (Photo courtesy TDOT)

A tractor-trailer jack-knifed on Interstate 40 West at mile marker 349 in Roane County. That roadway is closed, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said. I-40 East at MM 349 has one lane open. Roads are very icy in this area, TDOT said Monday morning, Jan. 8, 2018. The Oak Ridge/Gallaher Road exit is Exit 356. (Photo courtesy TDOT)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10 a.m.

Oak Ridge Schools are closed today as a layer of ice coated the ground in Oak Ridge, making roads and sidewalks slippery.

The schools had originally planned to open two hours late.

Other local school systems are also closed today (Monday, January 8) as the forecast had called for freezing rain or a wintry mix of precipitation around school arrival time this morning. Among the other school systems closed are Anderson County, Clinton, and Roane County. Roane State Community College is closed today as well (see here for more information). [Read more…]

Updated: Oak Ridge government, schools delayed; Anderson County Schools closed

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Light ice accumulations are possible late tonight and into Monday, Jan. 8, 2018. The main problems are expected to be patches of ice on roads. During the day Monday, temperatures will warm, and the precipitation should eventually turn to all rain. (Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown)

Light ice accumulations are possible late tonight and into Monday, Jan. 8, 2018. The main problems are expected to be patches of ice on roads. During the day Monday, temperatures will warm, and the precipitation should eventually turn to all rain. (Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 8:45 p.m.

Light icing and freezing rain are possible tonight (Sunday, January 7), and Oak Ridge government offices will open two hours late on Monday, Oak Ridge Schools will start two hours late, and Anderson County Schools will be closed.

Oak Ridge Schools said the two-hour delay is weather-related.

Anderson County Schools Director Tim Parrott said the county school closure is due to the predicted forecast of ice and the safety of students and staff. [Read more…]

Martin Luther King Breakfast to feature Hammond as speaker

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Derrick Hammond

Derrick Hammond

 

A Martin Luther King Fellowship Breakfast on Monday, January 15, will feature as keynote speaker the Reverend Derrick Hammond, pastor of Oak Valley Baptist Church in Oak Ridge.

It’s the 30th annual Martin Luther King Fellowship Breakfast hosted by the Atomic City Sportsmen.

The breakfast will be at the Oak Valley Baptist Church, 194 Hampton Road in Oak Ridge, on Monday, January 15. The program will begin at 8 a.m.

Hammond has served the Oak Valley Baptist Church for the past three years, a press release said. He has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Auburn University. He also completed the dual master’s degree program at Samford University, earning a Master of Divinity and a Master of Business Administration, the press release said. [Read more…]

City reports 20 water line breaks in four days

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A break in a 10-inch water line was reported about 10 feet under Tyler Road at about noon Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. A second crew was expected to provide relief to the first crew at about 10 p.m. Friday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A break in a 10-inch water line was reported about 10 feet under Tyler Road at about noon Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. A second crew was expected to provide relief to the first crew making repairs at about 10 p.m. Friday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 1 a.m.

The City of Oak Ridge reported about 20 water main breaks in four days of below-freezing temperatures, and crews were working to repair one 10-inch water line about 10 feet below Tyler Road near Oak Ridge Turnpike on Friday night.

The City of Oak Ridge said the Oak Ridge Public Works Department has been working around the clock in cold temperatures to repair broken water mains and restore service.

The water line break under Tyler Road was reported at about noon Friday. City workers turned off nine valves between that break and Central Avenue and Tennessee Avenue, but water continued to flow. Workers weren’t able to completely close one valve after it broke, and they were waiting for a second crew to relieve them at about 10 p.m. Friday. In the meantime, a short section of Tyler Road remained closed at Oak Ridge Turnpike, and it wasn’t clear how long it would take to repair the water line. [Read more…]

Man escapes, home destroyed by fire

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A man escaped with minor injuries, but a home was destroyed in a fire on Friday morning, Jan. 5, 2018, on Lindale Lane in west Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A man escaped with minor injuries, but a home was destroyed in a fire on Friday morning, Jan. 5, 2018, on Lindale Lane in west Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A man escaped with minor injuries, but a home was destroyed in a Friday morning fire on Lindale Lane in west Oak Ridge.

The fire was reported at about 6:30 a.m. Friday at 15 Lindale Lane, which is off West Lincoln Road just north of the Dollar General store.

The fire was reported to have started in the basement, where there is a garage in a corner of the house. The cause was unknown, Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said Friday morning.

The fire was fueled by natural gas, Kerley said. A gas line comes into the house in that area, and there is a water heater next to the gas line in the garage, he said.

The fire burned up a wall on that side of the house, went into the attic, and set the attic on fire, Kerley said. [Read more…]

Shelton named Outstanding County Official of the Year in 2017

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Anderson County Register of Deeds Tim Shelton was named Outstanding County Official of the Year in 2017 by the County Officials Association of Tennessee. (Submitted photo)

Anderson County Register of Deeds Tim Shelton was named Outstanding County Official of the Year in 2017 by the County Officials Association of Tennessee. (Submitted photo)

 

Anderson County Register of Deeds Tim Shelton was named Outstanding County Official of the Year in 2017 by the County Officials Association of Tennessee in November.

COAT had its three-day 49th Annual Conference in Franklin in early November.

The only other Anderson County official named Outstanding County Official was former Anderson County Trustee Patsy Stair-Lomeli. She received the award in 2000.

Jones running for re-election as AC Circuit Court Clerk

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Willliam T. Jones

Willliam T. Jones

 

Anderson County Circuit Court Clerk William T. Jones is running for re-election this year, a press release said.

Jones kicked off his re-election campaign in late September with a fundraiser in Oak Ridge that was attended by Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally and District 33 State Representative John Ragan, the press release said.

Jones was elected to the Circuit Court Clerk’s office in 2014 after a 24-year career in law enforcement, the press release said. His duties include supervision of Circuit Court, General Sessions Court Divisions I and II, and Juvenile Court.

“Under his direction, the clerk’s office has run more cost effectively by cutting operating cost,” the press release said. “All surpluses were returned to the county’s general fund. Jones has also been fiscally responsible and able to reduce the annual operating budget.” [Read more…]