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Leadership Oak Ridge provides outdoor seating area at AMSE

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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…]

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

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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…]

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

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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…]

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

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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…]

Council to consider revised Main Street plan

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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…]

Secret City Radio Show presents Robinella, Sarah Pirkle on Friday

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The Secret City Radio Show on Friday, May 10, 2019, will feature local singer/songwriter Robinella with special guests songwriter/fiddle player Sarah Pirkle and Giffin Vann. (Submitted photo)

The Secret City Radio Show on Friday will feature local singer/songwriter Robinella with special guests songwriter/fiddle player Sarah Pirkle and Giffin Vann.

The Secret City Radio Show will be broadcast live from the new American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge by East Tennessee’s WDVX 89.9 FM. The show is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Friday, May 10. You can also listen on 102.9 FM in Knoxville, at 93.9 FM in Seymour and Kodak, and online at WDVX.com.

Amber McBride of Oak Ridge National Laboratory will present some innovative bioscience technology that is preserving forests around the world, and UCOR will present the Clinch River Trail Alliance, a press release said.

[Read more…]

Former Space Station division director to speak in Oak Ridge on Thursday

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Mark Uhran

Mark Uhran, former director of NASA’s International Space Station Division, will speak in Oak Ridge on Thursday. The title of his presentation is “An Achievable Vision for Space Exploration: Establishing a Gateway Proving Ground for Space Exploration Technology.”

The event is sponsored by Friends of ORNL. It is free to attend, and it will be held at the new American Museum of Science and Energy at 115 East Main Street in Oak Ridge.

It’s the opening of the 22nd Annual Dick Smyser Community Lecture Series. A reception will be held in the auditorium anteroom starting at 5:30 p.m. (snacks will be served), and the lecture starts at 6 p.m. in the museum auditorium, a press release said.

“This talk should be of interest to students and the general public,” the press release said.

[Read more…]

AMSE celebrates 70 years

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Image courtesy American Museum of Science and Energy

Image courtesy American Museum of Science and Energy

 

The American Museum of Science and Energy is celebrating 70 years. As part of the celebration, there are three events scheduled next week, on March 19 and March 23, at AMSE and Oak Ridge History Museum.

It’s being called a platinum anniversary celebration of science, ingenuity, and the catalyst of the Atomic Age.

“As an anchor of the community, AMSE is proud to celebrate a city that once only existed a vision,” a press release said. “The footprint of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, will forever be etched into history as one of the foundations of the Manhattan Project. Seventy years ago, steps were taken to preserve that vision and recognize how the world was changed by the ‘Secret City.’ The museum tells the story about how and why people learned to split the atom. On March 19, 1949, the city’s gates and the nation’s first atomic energy museum, named the American Museum of Atomic Energy, were opened to the public for the first time. [Read more…]

Manhattan Project: National Parks World War II Film Festival on Saturday

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K-25-69 Close up of welding in prefabrecation shop 1944 (bld.300) Photo by Ed Westcott

K-25-69 Close up of welding in prefabrecation shop 1944 (bld.300) Photo by Ed Westcott

 

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will present films from National Park Service sites that commemorate events and issues related to World War II and the nuclear deterrent used during the Cold War on Saturday, a press release said.

The film festival is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 16, at the American Museum of Science and Energy.

National parks tell the stories of America’s World War II experience—from Pearl Harbor to the war’s atomic end, the press release said.

“The range of our nation’s national parks show how a resilient America mobilized its people to triumph over tyranny, explore places where technological and social barriers collapsed, confront the war’s darker legacies, and stand atop soils where American blood was shed, coastlines defended, and valor was memorialized forever,” the press release said. “Across the nation, national park sites help tell the story of our nation during World War II and help us ensure President Truman’s promise that ‘America will never forget their sacrifices’ will always hold true.”

National Park Service films on March 16, will come from: [Read more…]

Black History Month Kick-Off: ‘A Journey through the World of Art with African-American Artists’

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Black History Month Invitation 2019

The Oak Ridge Chapter of Blacks in Government (BIG), the American Museum of Science and Energy (AMSE), and the U.S. Department of Energy are sponsoring an evening with African-American artists on Friday, February 1, from 6 to 8 p.m., a press release said.

This event will be held at AMSE, which is located at 115 Main Street East in Oak Ridge. This event is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served, the press release said. [Read more…]

Manhattan Project Park staff back at work after government shutdown ends

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The partial government shutdown that started three weeks ago has affected the National Park Service in Oak Ridge. There are no National Park Service staff members or volunteers working at the Park Service desk at the Children's Museum of Oak Ridge, as pictured above on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The partial government shutdown that started Dec. 22, 2018, and ended with a temporary spending measure approved Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, affected the National Park Service in Oak Ridge. During the shutdown, there were no National Park Service staff members or volunteers working at the Park Service desk at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, as pictured above on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Federal employees of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge, are back at work after the partial government shutdown ended Friday.

The shutdown started Saturday, December 22, and it lasted 35 days. It was the longest government shutdown ever.

During the shutdown, there were no National Park Service staff members or volunteers working at the Park Service desk at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. The National Park Service did not monitor or update social media and websites during the shutdown, and it did not provide visitor services at the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, including public information. Also, all park programs were canceled.

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park said its staff resumed regular operations on Sunday after Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed a short-term continuing resolution that re-opened the government for three weeks. [Read more…]

Director of National Museum of Nuclear Science & History to speak in Oak Ridge

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Jim Walther (Photo courtesy ORHPA)

Jim Walther (Photo courtesy ORHPA)

 

The director of the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in New Mexico will speak in Oak Ridge on Tuesday.

The talk by the director, Jim Walther, is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Tuesday, January, 22, at the American Museum of Science and Energy, which relocated to renovated space near JCPenney at Main Street Oak Ridge in October.

The talk is hosted by the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association and AMSE.

“Make your plans now to attend this exceptional event,” a press release said. “The evening public forum meeting is free, and the public is encouraged to attend. Jim Walther will provide unique museum insights to help us learn more about the opportunities that may be available to Oak Ridge and our museums from an experienced museum professional of 39 years. [Read more…]

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