Oak Ridge Today

Children’s Museum hosts Imagination Station Summer Camps

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Young cooks prepare dessert for tasting later at a Children’s Museum summer camp. (Submitted photo)

Young cooks prepare dessert for tasting later at a Children’s Museum summer camp. (Submitted photo)

 

World cultures, model trains, cooking, and gardening, as well as STEAM (science, technology, art, engineering, and math) activities are being offered during Imagination Station Summer Camp beginning June 5 at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

With the museum’s unique and enriching environment as a backdrop, camp leaders will provide a blend of educational and interactive play, helping campers learn and grow while having fun in a safe environment. Each camp is created with age-appropriate activities aligned with the child’s developmental stage.

Summer camps, from June 5-July 28, are for children from age 3 through 7th grade, with one bridge camp open to eighth and ninth graders.
Peppy Pepper, the mascot for the museum’s newest exhibit, Kids in Action! Healthy Living, will encourage healthy activities such as growing vegetables and movement during the summer camps.

Register and pay for camps online, at www.childrensmuseumofoakridge.org, by mail or in person, at 461 West Outer Drive, Oak Ridge 37830. Camp fees are fully refundable up until 14 days before the start date. [Read more…]

Reminder: Secret City Festival under way this week

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Pictured above are World War II re-enactor Ben Arnold, right, a board member of the Celebrate Oak Ridge task force, and Judi Gray. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Pictured above are World War II re-enactor Ben Arnold, right, a board member of the Celebrate Oak Ridge task force, and Judi Gray, who helped announce the musical entertainment scheduled for Friday, June 9, and Saturday, June 10. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 11:15 a.m. June 5.

A reminder: The new weeklong Secret City Festival is under way, and it started Friday, June 2. The festival is free, and it includes two weekends and two weekdays. Most of the events are at Alvin K. Bissell Park.

The first weekend (June 2-4) celebrated Oak Ridge and World War II history. A free family movie will be shown on Tuesday, June 6, and the arts will be celebrated on Wednesday, June 7. Music and art are the focus of the second weekend, June 9-10.

The festival has been organized by Celebrate Oak Ridge. A schedule of events is below, and a schedule for this weekend is also included.

Saturday, June 3, was a big day, organizers said. There were World War II re-enactments at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., speakers throughout the day, the Freedom Belles, USO show, and more at Bissell Park. Historic exhibitions continued at Midtown Community Center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. [Read more…]

TDOT: Edgemoor Road project in Anderson County in earliest development stages

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Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

The Edgemoor Road project in Anderson County that is listed in a state three-year transportation program is in the earliest development stages, and officials don’t have details yet, including about road widening or traffic signals.

The three-year transportation plan includes a reference to 6.2 miles of SR 170 (Edgemoor Road) between SR 9/US 25W (Clinton Highway) and SR 62 (South Illinois Avenue).

“The first step, which is under way now, is the completion of what’s known as a planning document,” said B.J. Doughty, director of community relations and communications for the Tennessee Department of Transportation. “Until we get further into the engineering process, we won’t have details about the features of the project—widening, traffic signals, etc.”

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner John Schroer released TDOT’s annual three-year transportation program in May. It features approximately $2.6 billion in infrastructure investments for 101 individual project phases in 40 counties, as well as 15 statewide programs. [Read more…]

Caryville man dies in crash near Norris

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A Caryville man died and an Andersonville woman was injured in a two-vehicle crash on Reservoir Road just outside Norris on Thursday, authorities said.

The head-on crash was reported at about 7 p.m. Thursday.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol, which investigated the crash, said a 2003 Nissan Frontier was being driven north on Reservoir Road by Heidi Kuehl, 40, of Andersonville, when it crossed the center line.

A southbound 1995 Toyota Camry driven by Anthony Peterson, 47, of Caryville, “took corrective action” to miss Kuehl’s vehicle, the THP said. [Read more…]

Business leaders support new life for Friendship Bell

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Pictured above are Alan Tatum, left, and Ken Rueter. (Photo by UCOR)

Pictured above are Alan Tatum, left, and Ken Rueter. (Photo by UCOR)

 

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When Ken Rueter and Alan Tatum met beside the iconic Friendship Bell in Bissell Park recently, they took a moment to reflect on the importance of preserving what the Bell symbolizes to the Oak Ridge community.

Tatum, an accelerator systems and stable isotopes group leader at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is co-chair of the International Friendship Bell Advisory Committee along with Pat Postma. Rueter is President and Project Manager of URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, or UCOR, cleanup contractor for the East Tennessee Technology Park and other sites on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation. Both men serve on the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Advisory Board.

The occasion of their May meeting was UCOR’s donation of $15,000 toward an effort to construct a new peace pavilion for the 8,300-pound bronze bell. Cast in Japan in 1993, the bell was dedicated at its current location in 1996 as a 50th anniversary landmark for the creation of the City of Oak Ridge, home to nuclear production facilities that helped end World War II. The bell symbolizes the bonds of peace and friendship that have been forged by Oak Ridge and Japan in the decades since the war ended. [Read more…]

Crash update: Girl expected to come home soon, mother out of ICU

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The seven-year-old girl injured in a fatal two-vehicle crash on South Illinois Avenue last week is expected to come home in the next few days, and her mother is out of a hospital’s intensive care unit, a relative said Friday.

On Wednesday, Jason Taylor of Kingston, who is the great-uncle of the seven-year-old, said his great-niece was out of the ICU and in a regular room resting with her grandmother. In another update on Friday, he said the girl is fully awake, and talking well. The first thing she said when she woke up Sunday was: “I’m hungry, and I’m thirsty,” Taylor said.

“Our beautiful seven-year-old little angel is recovering slowly but surely!” Taylor said Wednesday. “She sustained quite a few injuries but is alert, talking, and eating! God protected this child in this (horrific) accident without a doubt. A full recovery is expected but with a long road ahead! Thank you for the update and please continue to pray for all families that were involved!”

Taylor said his niece, Tabitha Douglas, 26, is out of the ICU. Douglas is the mother of the injured girl. On Tuesday, the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville had reported that Douglas was still in critical condition. [Read more…]

Secret City Festival: ORHPA has history exhibit at Midtown Community Center on Friday, Saturday

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The first 100 visitors to the History Exhibit at the Midtown Community Center on Friday, June 2, 2017, and Saturday, June 3, 2017, get a free 43-page Pocket Guide from the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. (Submitted photo)

The first 100 visitors to the History Exhibit at the Midtown Community Center on Friday, June 2, 2017, and Saturday, June 3, 2017, get a free 43-page Pocket Guide from the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. (Submitted photo)

 

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Bring the family by the historic Midtown Community Center next to Kroger from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, June 2, and Saturday, June 3, during the Secret City Festival—to enjoy the fascinating story behind the creation of U.S. Department of Energy’s nuclear complex and the City of Oak Ridge. The Midtown Center is located at 102 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge.

As a special treat, the first 100 visitors on each day will get a free Manhattan Project Secret City pocket guide from the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association.

The pocket guide, a $5 value, has 43 pages packed with “Wow-Facts” and photos on early Oak Ridge and the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park, a press release said. The guide also includes a map of historical locations in the city and a driving tour.

This year is the 75th anniversary of both the DOE nuclear complex and the “Secret City” of Oak Ridge. Both were created by the federal government in the difficult year following the Pearl Harbor attack, 1942, during the super-secret Manhattan Project. The Manhattan Project was President Roosevelt’s effort to build the very first atomic bomb and end World War II. [Read more…]

Flatwater Festival is Friday at Melton Lake Park

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The three Rotary clubs of Oak Ridge will hold a fundraiser on Friday, June 2, at five that’s full of fun. It’s called the Flatwater Festival, and it is open from 5 to 11 p.m. You can watch teams of two build boats of plywood with simple hand tools in two-and-a-half hours. Then you can watch them paddle their boats as they race across the lagoon at Melton Lake Park.

The event is free and you can listen to area bands Ridge City Ramblers, The Unnamed, and Four Leaf Peat, as they play folk, blues, and Irish/Appalachian music on the stage, starting at 5:30.

But bring money so your kids can play in a bounce house ($5) and you can be a contestant in a cornhole tournament ($10). You will also want to drink and eat. At the festival for a small price, you can buy beer, barbecue, and burgers. Other offerings include hot dogs, wine, ice cream, and bottles of “flat” water. [Read more…]

RISE ABOVE: Redtail exhibition soars into Oak Ridge

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Rise Above

Commemorative Air Force project celebrating Tuskeegee Airmen appears as part of Secret City Festival’s “Celebrate Our Heroes” weekend

The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Red Tail Squadron, America’s tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen, brings their RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit to Oak Ridge this week as part of the Secret City Festival’s “Celebrate Our Heroes” event. The exhibit is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. now through Saturday at 115 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge in front of Maxed Out Gym.

The RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit is a fully functional mobile movie theater housed in a climate controlled 53-foot semi trailer that is deployed to events around the country. This immersive experience inspires and educates audiences about the Tuskegee Airmen, our country’s first black military pilots and their support personnel, and the obstacles they had to overcome to serve their country during World War II. Because of its dynamic 160-degree panoramic screen, the film creates the feeling of being in the cockpit soaring above the clouds in the P-51C Mustang—the signature aircraft of the Tuskegee Airmen. View a preview at www.redtail.org/traveling-exhibit/.

More than half a million people in 36 states have experienced a compelling and inspirational piece of American history delivered by this unique educational outreach vehicle since the program launched in 2011, a press release said. Each year, the CAF Red Tail Squadron embarks on a nine-month cross-country tour that includes appearances at air shows, schools, museums, and community events. The group’s six guiding principles—Aim High, Believe In Yourself, Use Your Brain, Be Ready To Go, Never Quit, and Expect to Win—serve as the foundation for their outreach programs and are based on the experiences and successes of the Tuskegee Airmen. [Read more…]

Manhattan Project National Historical Park to welcome new U.S. citizens in Oak Ridge in June

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National Park Service Logo

The National Park Service and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service will partner to hold a naturalization ceremony for new United States citizens on Friday, June 16. The ceremony is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. June 16 at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge. The public is invited to witness the ceremony, a press release said.

Chief United States District Judge Thomas A. Varlan will preside. Amanda North and Natasha Loyd from Oak Ridge High School will sing the national anthem. The Oak Ridge Police Department will provide the presentation of colors.

“National parks aren’t just about scenic beauty,” said Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area Superintendent Niki Stephanie Nicholas. “Rather, they also represent sites of conscience, and commemoration. These sites serve as the standard-bearers of our shared history and what it means to be American. As you contemplate what it means to be an American citizen and these places that you now own, I would ask you to also play a role in protecting them and preserving them. Get out and explore.” [Read more…]

Two Oak Ridge companies receive small business awards from DOE office

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Buster Bivens and Kaitlyn Weaver of Restoration Services, Inc. (RSI) perform field inspections at a Portsmouth Site process building. DOE recognized RSI with the Small Business of the Year award. (Photo from DOE Office of Environmental Management "EM Update" newsletter)

Buster Bivens and Kaitlyn Weaver of Restoration Services Inc. (RSI) perform field inspections at a Portsmouth Site process building. DOE recognized RSI with the Small Business of the Year award. (Photo from DOE Office of Environmental Management “EM Update” newsletter)

 

Note: This information and photos first appeared in the May 31 edition of the “EM Update” newsletter published by the DOE Office of Environmental Management.

Two Oak Ridge companies involved in federal cleanup work have received small business awards from a U.S. Department of Energy office.

Restoration Services Inc., or RSI, was named the Small Business of the Year during the 16th Annual DOE Small Business Forum and Expo in Kansas City, Missouri, on May 16-18.

Another Oak Ridge business, Scientific Sales Inc., or SSI, was named the 8(a)/Small Disadvantaged Business of the Year.

Awards were presented to a total of five small businesses, including RSI and SSI, during the expo in Kansas City this month. The companies support the U.S. Department of Energy’s environmental management, or EM, work. The awards, which were for fiscal year 2016, were from DOE’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization.

The other three EM-related businesses that received awards were: [Read more…]

Proposed city budget would not raise property tax rate

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Mark Watson

Mark Watson

 

The budget proposed by Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson on Tuesday would not increase the property tax rate. Instead, the budget would hold the property tax rate steady at $2.52 per $100 of assessed value.

It could be the 10th year in a row without a tax rate increase. That’s if the Oak Ridge City Council approves the city manager’s proposed budget.

Watson said it’s essentially the same budget as last year, with some capital improvements and funding for an energy savings plan for lighting, heating, and cooling systems in the city and schools.

Fully funding a request from Oak Ridge Schools for 2.5 percent pay raises for teachers and staff would require the equivalent of a four-cent tax rate increase, Watson said during a special City Council meeting on Tuesday. [Read more…]