• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

 

AMSE Foundation having art contest

Posted at 6:24 pm January 9, 2023
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The American Museum of Science and Energy Foundation is having its first art contest.

The competition is open to the public.

The foundation is asking those who enter the contest to make art that represents an element, elements, or the periodic table of elements.

“For example, an artist may draw a representation of the periodic table, sculpt a carbon molecule, paint a neon sign, or create a computer graphic of a blimp full of hydrogen,” the contest instructions said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Arts, Community, Entertainment, Museums Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, American Museum of Science and Energy Foundation, art contest

DOE bus tours restart in Oak Ridge

Posted at 2:29 pm July 19, 2022
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

U.S. Department of Energy public bus tours have resumed in Oak Ridge after a two-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo from DOE)

U.S. Department of Energy public bus tours have resumed in Oak Ridge after a two-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The tours began running again on July 11, and they are scheduled to continue through November.

“The program is a longtime staple in the community, helping educate residents and visitors about the site’s rich history and current missions,” DOE said in an EM Update newsletter published Tuesday. (EM stands for environmental management.)

The tour program started in 1996 and has attracted tens of thousands of visitors from all 50 states, DOE said.

The three-and-a-half-hour tours allow visitors to see all three DOE sites on the Oak Ridge Reservation, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Y-12 National Security Complex, and East Tennessee Technology Park.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, East Tennessee Technology Park, Front Page News, History, K-25, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, bus tours, East Tennessee Technology Park, Graphite Reactor, K-25 Building, K-25 History Center, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex

Innovators Gallery Ribbon Cutting

Posted at 4:38 pm August 27, 2021
By Kathy Gillenwaters Leave a Comment

Cutline: The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce hosted a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the Grand Opening of the Everything in Motion exhibit in the Innovators Gallery at the American Museum of Science and Energy on Friday, August 27. The exhibit is sponsored by RDI Technologies.

Filed Under: Front Page News Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, AMSE, Everything in Motion, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, RDI Technologies, ribbon-cutting

AMSE re-opens

Posted at 10:51 am May 21, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The American Museum of Science and Energy is pictured above on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

After a long closure during the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Museum of Science and Energy has re-opened.

AMSE re-opened at 9 a.m. Friday, May 21.

AMSE will be open to a limited number of visitors at a time, 50. Museum visitors will be asked to maintain an appropriate physical distance from others (the general guidance has been to maintain a distance of six feet or more, when possible, from people who live outside your home).

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Community, COVID-19, Front Page News, Health, Museums, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, AMSE, COVID-19, open

Photos: Old AMSE building being demolished

Posted at 9:35 am June 21, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The former American Museum of Science and Energy building on South Tulane Avenue is being demolished, and apartments are planned on the site. (Photo courtesy Mike Mahathy)

The former American Museum of Science and Energy building is being demolished, and apartments are planned on the site.

The apartment project is expected to include seven three-story buildings with 226 apartment units on 10 acres.

Now called Main Street Lofts, the $32 million apartment project has included an agreement to reduce property taxes and the transfer of what had been federal property from the U.S. Department of Energy to the city and then to TN Oak Ridge Illinois, a company affiliated with RealtyLink, the developer of Main Street Oak Ridge.

The apartments are being built as RealtyLink, a South Carolina company, plans to build more new stores across South Tulane Avenue at Main Street Oak Ridge, the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Business, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Office, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, AMSE, Daniel Smith, Main Street Lofts, Main Street Oak Ridge, Mainstreet Capital Partners, Oak Ridge, RealtyLink, TN Oak Ridge Illinois, U.S. Department of Energy

Museums, national park center closed

Posted at 11:34 am March 18, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The American Museum of Science and Energy is pictured above on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Museums and the national park welcome center in Oak Ridge are closed because of COVID-19, the respiratory illness that has infected more than 200,000 people in at least 144 countries around the world and killed more than 8,000 people.

The museums closed in Oak Ridge are the American Museum of Science and Energy, Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, K-25 History Center, Oak Ridge History Museum at Midtown Community Center (Wildcat Den), and Y-12 History Museum at New Hope Center.

Also closed is the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Welcome Center at the Children’s Museum.

The AMSE bus tours are also not operating now.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, COVID-19, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Health, History, Museums, Museums, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, AMSE bus tours, Children's Museum of Oak Ridge, coronavirus, COVID-19, Explore Oak Ridge, K-25 History Center, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, museum, Oak Ridge History Museum, Y-12 History Museum

For members: Chinns part of apartment project on former AMSE site

Posted at 9:32 am February 27, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

AMSE-Site-Feb-11-2020
The former American Museum of Science and Energy is pictured above on South Tulane Avenue on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

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

Oak Ridge Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn and his brother Ryan are minority partners in the project to build apartments at the former American Museum of Science and Energy site.

 
AMSE-Site-Feb-11-2020

The former American Museum of Science and Energy is pictured above on South Tulane Avenue on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn and his brother Ryan are minority partners in the project to build apartments at the former American Museum of Science and Energy site.

Rick Chinn, a developer, said this month that the project will bring much-needed apartments to the city, allowing more people who work in Oak Ridge to live here. The apartments are being built as RealtyLink, a South Carolina developer, plans to build more new stores across South Tulane Avenue at Main Street Oak Ridge, the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall.

Now called Main Street Lofts, the apartment project has included an agreement to reduce property taxes and the transfer of what had been federal property from the U.S. Department of Energy to the city and then to a developer. It will include the demolition of the former AMSE building. It is expected to include seven three-story buildings with 226 apartment units on 10 acres.

Rick Chinn and his father, Richard Chinn, a member of the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, have been abstaining from votes related to the apartment project for at least a year.

They have not been required to explain their abstentions, but Oak Ridge Today has asked Rick and Richard Chinn why they have been abstaining.

The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: an advertiser, sponsor, or subscriber to Oak Ridge Today.

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

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

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

Learn about our advanced subscription options here.

Note: Most news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, sponsors, and subscribers. Some are considered premium content. This story is premium content. Premium content can include in-depth, investigative, and exclusive stories. These stories generally take more than four hours to report, write, and publish.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today!

Filed Under: Business, Business, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Slider Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, AMSE, apartments, City of Oak Ridge, Daniel Smith, IDB, Ken Krushenski, Legacy Capital Partners, Leigh Burch, Main Street Lofts, Main Street—Oak Ridge, Mainstreet Capital Partners, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, payment in lieu of taxes, PILOT, R&R Enterprises, R&R Investors, RealtyLink, Richard Chinn, Rick Chinn, Ryan Chinn, Terminus Real Estate, Tire Discounters, TN Oak Ridge Illinois, Tom Beehan, U.S. Department of Energy

Leadership Oak Ridge provides outdoor seating area at AMSE

Posted at 2:42 pm December 5, 2019
By Kathy Gillenwaters Leave a Comment

Leadership-Oak-Ridge-2019-Graduation.jpg

Members of the 2019 Leadership Oak Ridge Class recently graduated and dedicated their class project: a gathering space near the American Museum of Science and Energy. (Submitted photo)

 

 

Information from Kathy Gillenwaters and Amanda Meixel Kinghorn

Members of the Leadership Oak Ridge program recently finished a project that provides enhancements to the American Museum of Science and Energy. The multi-offering project was made possible through numerous volunteer hours from participants and generous donations from local businesses, a press release said.

Additions include a new outdoor seating area, landscaping, and beautification installations, the press release said.

“The new gathering area was a project of particular importance and filled a need that existed since AMSE’s location change last year,” the release said.

AMSE now has outdoor classroom space, transition space for rotating large groups through the educational facility, and seating for the bus tour that departs from the building nine months of the year. The project also included new landscaping and beautification pieces that enhance the visual appeal of Oak Ridge’s expanding Main Street area, the press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Community, Front Page News, Museums, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, AMSE, Center for Leadership and Community Development, Leadership Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Richelle Ballenger

Oak Ridge receives award for partnership that led to AMSE opening in new space

Posted at 1:42 pm November 8, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The City of Oak Ridge was formally honored with a Community Partnership Award during a Celebration of Service to the Profession as part of ICMA’s Annual Conference on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, center; Government Affairs and Information Services Director Amy Fitzgerald, second from left; and Administrative Services Director Bruce Applegate, left, accepted the award in Nashville. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The City of Oak Ridge has received an award for the intergovernmental partnership that led to the American Museum of Science and Energy opening in a new centrally located space in Main Street Oak Ridge.

The 2019 Community Partnership Award was presented to the city by the International City/County Management Association, or ICMA.

“The award recognizes innovative programs or processes between and/or among a local government and other governmental entities, private sector businesses, individuals, or nonprofit agencies to improve the quality of life for residents or provide more efficient and effective services,” a press release said.

The City of Oak Ridge was formally honored during a Celebration of Service to the Profession as part of ICMA’s Annual Conference on Wednesday, October 23. Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, Government Affairs and Information Services Director Amy Fitzgerald, and Administrative Services Director Bruce Applegate accepted the award in Nashville.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, AMSE, Amy Fitzgerald, Bruce Applegate, City of Oak Ridge, Community Partnership Award, ICMA, International City/County Management Association, Main Street—Oak Ridge, Mark Watson, U.S. Department of Energy

Council to consider vet services contract, changes to property transfer agreement

Posted at 1:33 pm August 20, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge City Council will consider a contract with a veterinarian at the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter and potential changes to the property transfer agreement with TN Oak Ridge Illinois LLC during a special meeting this evening (Tuesday, August 20).

The veterinary services contract would be with Matt Jinks of Maryville.

TN Oak Ridge Illinois LLC is the company helping to lead the redevelopment of the former American Museum of Science and Energy site, and it is affiliated with the company developing Main Street Oak Ridge at the former Oak Ridge Mall. The changes to the property transfer agreement could include extending the first tax revenue condition by one year and requiring a letter of credit for the community-oriented amenities, according to Council’s meeting agenda.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, Main Street—Oak Ridge, Matt Jinks, Oak Ridge Animal Shelter, Oak Ridge City Council, property transfer agreement, TN Oak Ridge Illinois LLC, vet services, veterinary services

Learn more about ‘Secret City,’ Manhattan Project during bus tours in August

Posted at 10:57 pm July 12, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

oakridge_graphite-reactor_mainpg_1_1
The X-10 Graphite Reactor with workers. (U.S. Department of Energy)

Two new bus tours offered in Oak Ridge in August will allow you to learn more about the unique heritage of the Manhattan Project, a press release said. The bus tours are the “Secret City” and “Oak Ridge Museums” tours.

The “Secret City” tour will be led by a National Park Service ranger, last three hours, and include that day’s admission to the American Museum of Science and Energy.

“During the Manhattan Project, a community was created almost overnight to accomplish the monumental task of producing enriched uranium on a large scale,” the press release said. “During the tour, visitors can develop an understanding of what life was like during World War II in a city behind a fence that no one was supposed to discuss. The tour will also include a visit to the X-10 Graphite Reactor, a National Historic Landmark, and the world’s first nuclear reactor designed and built for continuous operation.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, History, Top Stories Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, bus tours, Children's Museum of Oak Ridge, Graphite Reactor, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Park Service, Oak Ridge History Museum, Oak Ridge museums, Secret City, World War II

Council to consider revised Main Street plan

Posted at 11:59 am May 13, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday, May 13, 2019, will consider the revised plan for Main Street Oak Ridge, the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall.

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider the revised plan for Main Street Oak Ridge, the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall.

An earlier version of the revised plan was rejected by Council in a 3-4 vote in January. But since then, a new revised plan has been submitted to the city. In April, the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission recommended 7-1 that the new plan, which is similar to the earlier plan, be approved with some conditions.

The revised plan is being considered as RealtyLink, the South Carolina developer, prepares to welcome a second wave of tenants to the site, which is in central Oak Ridge. It would be the second phase of the project, and it could include 90,000 square feet of new retail buildings, an open space near the Belk store, and new sidewalks and crosswalks. It could also include a bus drop-off area near the relocated American Museum of Science and Energy.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Slider Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, JCPenney, Main Street—Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Mall, Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission, PetSmart, revised plan, Rutgers Avenue, Wilson Street

Next Page »

Search Oak Ridge Today

Classifieds

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

Recent Posts

  • Basketball: Wildcats beat West in rematch
  • Basketball: Lady Wildcats undefeated in district
  • Obituaries: Jan. 23-27, 2023
  • Speakers mostly support TRISO-X fuel facility at meeting
  • UPF construction could cost more, take longer
  • Y-12 celebrates new fire station, emergency operations center
  • One person seriously injured in Wednesday crash
  • Oak Ridge EM prepared for cold weather to prevent failures
  • Covenant Health donating land for Roane State health science center
  • School board approves aviation career path
A Twitter List by OakRidgeToday

Recent Comments

  • John Huotari on Power to TRISO at Horizon could cost $13 million
  • John Huotari on Lawsuit seeks 2020 election audit, voting machine restriction
  • Peter Scheffler on Lawsuit seeks 2020 election audit, voting machine restriction
  • Peter Scheffler on Power to TRISO at Horizon could cost $13 million
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Tracy Powers on Planning Commission to consider Main Street apartments, plan revisions

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2023 Oak Ridge Today