Oak Ridge Today

Clinton Public Library seeks teen volunteers

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Clinton Public Library

Source: ClintonPublicLibrary.org

 

Teens ages 13 to 18 are invited to volunteer at the Clinton Public Library this summer. Volunteers will be registering children and adults for the Summer Reading Club, assisting at programs, helping to prepare for story times, and more.

All teens interested in volunteering at the Library this summer ​must ​attend an orientation at the Library on ​Thursday, May 7, ​or on ​Tuesday, May 19, ​at 5:30 p.m. This orientation will provide you with more information about volunteering and prepare you to complete tasks. All teens must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.

Only 20 volunteers are needed, so please call the Library at (865) 457­-0519 to reserve a spot. Clinton Public Library is located at 118 South Hicks Street in Clinton.

Nick Page to lead music workshop, free community sing at ORUUC on May 2

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Nick Page

Nick Page

Submitted

Anyone who enjoys singing is invited to be part of a vocal community with acclaimed song leader, composer, and author Nick Page at a workshop on Saturday, May 2 at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. The workshop entitled “So Much More than Music” will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 2, with a break for lunch from 12-1 p.m.

ORUUC is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. The cost to attend is $5 for non-ORUUC participants.

On Sunday, May 3, singers of every level are invited to come to a free community sing led by Page that will be held in the church sanctuary starting at 3 p.m. [Read more…]

Reminder: City, schools have Community Wellness Fair today (April 22)

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Reminder: The City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Schools will have a Community Wellness Fair today (Wednesday, April 22).

The Wellness Fair is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 22 at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. It includes a wide range of activities that include blood pressure checks, doctor’s chats, exercise tips, shingle vaccines, breast and men’s health, and dental, hearing, and diabetic foot screenings.

There will be a Medic Mobile blood drive from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Civic Center. [Read more…]

Council to consider restart on ORPD review during special meeting Tuesday

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Oak Ridge City Council on Feb. 9, 2015

The Oak Ridge City Council will have a special meeting on Tuesday, April 21, to consider three recommendations related to the 30-day review of the Oak Ridge Police Department that was approved in March. (File photo)

 

A 30-day review of the Oak Ridge Police Department had barely gotten started before it came under fire. But the Oak Ridge City Council will try to fix that on Tuesday.

The concern centers on a report that the list of ORPD employees randomly selected for the first 20 interviews was sent to Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi and all Police Department employees, raising questions about the impartiality and anonymity of the review. The reviewer, Rex Barton of the Municipal Technical Advisory Service at the University of Tennessee, apparently sent the list to the police chief for scheduling purposes, seeking to minimize overtime and minimize stress on the officers’ off-duty life.

But those who have pressed for an investigation, including Oak Ridge City Council member Trina Baughn, quickly objected when they learned that the list of interviewees had been sent to the police chief, who has been the subject of much of their scrutiny.

So, in a special meeting Tuesday evening, the City Council will ask Barton, an MTAS police management consultant, to create a new, random list of officers to interview. Council will also consider determining a point of contact in the Oak Ridge Police Department who can help coordinate the schedules of officers participating in the interviews. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools hosts new Discovery Energy Camp this summer

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This summer, Oak Ridge Schools will host the first Discovery Energy Camp for rising seventh- and eighth-grade students. This camp is open to students from Oak Ridge Schools or any other school as long as they meet the grade level requirement.

“Registration availability is limited, so please register soon!” a press release said.

During this camp, students will investigate how energy works and how small bursts of creativity can unlock huge potential for the future. This camp combines hands-on labs, engineering challenges, digital investigations, and more, the release said. It will be taught by Chris Layton, social studies teacher and STEM coach, and Chris Jaeger, Diversified Technology teacher, both from Jefferson Middle School. It will take place from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. from June 8-12 at Jefferson Middle School.

Registration is being accepted until May 1. The cost is $120 for the week. Applications are available on the Jefferson Middle School website at http://jefferson.ortn.edu/?PageName=LatestNews&Section=LatestNews&ItemID=395661&ISrc=School&Ity pe=News.

Today: UT MBA students present study on human-powered sports in Oak Ridge

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Mark Watson

Mark Watson

Students in the University of Tennessee MBA program will present a recent study on human-powered sports in Oak Ridge during a meeting this afternoon (Monday, April 20).

The presentation is hosted by the City of Oak Ridge, City Manager Mark Watson said.

The student team, working under the direction of Austin Lance, has been researching and benchmarking to develop a predictable set of recommendations as to how the Oak Ridge community can develop a unique brand position in human-powered and related sports to enhance its image and monetize its recreational assets, a meeting notice said.

The results will be presented at 3 p.m. Monday, April 20, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Court Room, which is at 200 S. Tulane Avenue.

Curves re-opens in Oak Ridge

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Josee Tousignant

Pictured above are Mary Ann Gubank, director of St. Joseph’s Food Pantry, and Josee Tousignant, new owner of Curves of Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

Curves of Oak Ridge re-opened in March, with a new location at 130 Ridgeway Center, a new local owner, and new classes, a press release said.

The release said Curves is a facility specifically designed for women featuring a complete 30-minute workout that is fun, fast and safe.

“The new owner, Josee Tousignant, is thrilled about reopening the Curves now at Ridgeway Center, and is most proud to say that there will always be a ‘personal coach’ on site, which is included in the membership plan,” the release said. “One of the most appealing things about Curves is that women can complete an entire body workout designed specifically for women in 30 minutes.” [Read more…]

Tickets going fast for Weinberg film

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Alvin Weinberg Poster

If Alvin Weinberg, the most famous of Oak Ridgers, were alive today, he would be celebrating his 100th birthday.

This Thursday evening, as many as 600 people will celebrate his centenary by watching for free “Alvin Weinberg,” a documentary film by Oak Ridge’s Keith McDaniel.

The one-hour film, which is of PBS quality, will be shown at 6:30 and 8 p.m. Thursday, April 23, at the American Museum of Science and Energy.

The first showing is “sold out,” but a few seats are left for the second free showing at 8 p.m. To reserve a seat, you must call Connor Matthews at (865) 705-5890 or Tom Row at (865) 705-5174.

Blankenship Field parking lot project could cost $225,000

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Blankenship Field Parking Lot

The lower parking lot at Blankenship Field, which is used for football games and high school graduation.

 

A parking lot paving project at Blankenship Field could cost $225,000, according to an engineering estimate, a city official said Monday.

The City of Oak Ridge is working with the Blankenship Field Revitalization Foundation to address some questions about the work, Public Works Director Gary Cinder said at a City Council meeting on Monday.

The Oak Ridge City Council agreed in May 2014 to use $180,000 in traffic camera money for improvements to the lower parking lot at Blankenship Field, which is used for football games and high school graduation. [Read more…]

Jackson Square fountain won’t be ready by Lavender Fest, but other work should be

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Jackson Square Parking Lot Work

The interactive fountain in the center of the Jackson Square parking lot won’t be finished before the Lavender Festival in June, but work around the fountain should be completed by then, a city official said Monday.

 

The interactive fountain won’t be in place by the Lavender Festival in June, but other perimeter work around the Jackson Square parking lot should be completed, a city official said Monday.

Construction work on the $1 million rebuild of the parking lot area at Jackson Square started in January. The construction contract was awarded to Rich Construction Inc. of Lenoir City by the Oak Ridge City Council in October.

The work is funded with help from a $741,609 Tennessee Department of Transportation Enhancement Grant that was awarded to the city in June 2012. The TDOT grant covers 80 percent of the work, and it requires a 20 percent city match.

Jackson Square is Oak Ridge’s original town center. [Read more…]

City agreed to use $150K, but low bid on Preschool paint job is $25K

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Oak Ridge Preschool and School Administration Building

The Oak Ridge City Council has agreed to use $150,000 in unspent red-light camera to repair the lead-based paint on the Oak Ridge Schools Preschool and Robert J. Smallridge School Administration Building on New York Avenue. Officials say the building needs to be renovated or vacated for the Head Start program to receive funding in the 2015-2016 school year. (File photo)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council had agreed to use $150,000 in red-light camera money to repair the lead-based paint on the city’s Preschool, but the low bid came in significantly lower—$24,700, Public Works Director Gary Cinder said Monday.

The five bids ranged up to about $112,000, Cinder told the Oak Ridge City Council.

The low bidder has done some of this type of work at the Preschool before, Cinder said.

The work is expected to be done by this fall. It provides what officials hope will be a temporary fix while they develop a plan to permanently repair, replace, or move the Preschool. [Read more…]

MTAS: ORPD review to be extensive, but not clear who will be interviewed

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Oak Ridge Police Department Review Protest

Protesters who want all officers to be able to speak to a consultant reviewing the Oak Ridge Police Department are pictured above outside the Oak Ridge Municipal Building before the Monday night City Council meeting.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:35 a.m. April 20.

The review of the Oak Ridge Police Department will be extensive, but it’s not clear yet who will be interviewed, an official said Friday.

The proposal submitted by the Municipal Technical Advisory Service and approved by the Oak Ridge City Council in March called for interviewing a randomly selected group of police department employees. It also called for interviewing other city employees and officers and possibly talking to community leaders not directly employed by the city.

But some have expressed concern that others who want to speak, including former officers and city residents, might not be able to under the limited 30-day review and random selection proposed by MTAS.

“These men deserve to be heard, all of them,” said Christen Thomas, wife of Oak Ridge Police Department Officer John Thomas.

The independent MTAS review will use Police Management Consultant Rex Barton, a former administrative captain for the Athens, Tennessee, Police Department. MTAS is part of the Institute for Public Service at the University of Tennessee. [Read more…]