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Guest column: Good things continue to happen in Andersonville

Posted at 1:26 pm June 2, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Guest Columns Leave a Comment

Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department Fire Truck

Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department Fire Truck

 

By Theresa Scott

The Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department recently had a task to complete. Assistant Fire Chief Brian Casto took a crew to Oak Ridge. Upon arrival at the City of Oak Ridge’s main building, Assistant Chief Casto was directed to the Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson’s office. It was time for the papers to be signed. The title needed to be transferred and keys handed over. Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley was there to give further verbal instructions.

While the department heads were inside signing documents and discussing the final technicalities, the crew waited outside. However, without patience, they were found opening doors to compartments, checking out gauges, wiping off the windshield, checking out the view from the driver’s seat of the big yellow fire truck. This big, yellow Quality fire truck is going into full service but in a different zip code. It will still get the same hands-on care that it always had, but now it will be with a new crew out in the country. Perhaps out in the country, but still in the same county. The Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department was getting one of the surplus trucks. Most of the crew were laughing and chatting like a bunch of children on Christmas morning.  The excitement was obvious.

Thank you to the City of Oak Ridge for keeping this (as well as the one that was recently transferred to our Medford Volunteer Fire Department) in our county. It is important that we continue to pay it forward amongst ourselves as we may very well need to depend on it sometime in the future. The residents of Andersonville are very fortunate to have such caring volunteers. These men and women put their lives on the line when called to the scene of an automobile accident, a working residential or commercial property fire, or even to the water if there’s been a boating accident. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Andersonville, Guest Columns, Oak Ridge, Opinion, Police and Fire Tagged With: Anderson County Commission, Andersonville, Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, Belmont Station Number 3, Brian Casto, City of Oak Ridge, Darryl Kerley, landing zones, Mark Watson, Medford Volunteer Fire Department, surplus truck, Theresa Scott, University of Tennessee Lifestar, volunteer firefighters

Electrical problem blamed for Andersonville house fire

Posted at 11:56 am May 28, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

A Tuesday morning fire destroyed a house in Andersonville but injured no one, according to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies were among those who responded to a fire at 334 Brooks Gap Road shortly after 7 a.m. Tuesday.  When deputies arrived, they found crews from the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department battling the blaze, which had completely engulfed the structure.

The home’s owner, Darryl Webber, told officials that his father had passed away last year and left him the house, which he said he checked on every day to make sure it was okay, adding that three lights were continuously left on inside the home. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Andersonville, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Andersonville, Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, Brooks Gap Road, Darryl Webber, fire, house fire

Tuesday fire apparently started in kitchen microwave

Posted at 2:03 pm April 15, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

A Tuesday night fire on Bland Road in Anderson County apparently started in a kitchen microwave, authorities said.

The fire was reported at about 9 p.m. Tuesday, and the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department responded.

Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Michael A. Poole said he saw smoke pouring out of the front door of the home when he arrived, but no visible flames. Firefighters were already inside trying to extinguish the fire. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Andersonville, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, AVFD, Bland Road, Del Kenney, fire, Michael A. Poole, Wilbur Wheeler Jr.

AC Commission meeting wrap-up

Posted at 7:40 pm March 17, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Commission met for the first time since January on Monday night and voted unanimously to release the $20,000 in funding that had been held back from the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department and place them back in the rotation (beginning next year) for county purchase of a new fire truck after the department abandoned its controversial and wildly unpopular subscription program and returned to all-volunteer status.

Commissioner Phil Warfield said that the department “went above and beyond what Commission asked of them” as far as making things right with county leaders and more importantly the citizens they serve.

Commissioners were also introduced to the new fire chief, Del Kennedy. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Commission, Andersonville Volunteer Fire, Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, animal shelter, chickens, Del Kennedy, delinquent tax attorney, delinquent tax lawsuit, fire truck, Foust Carney Lane, Jay Yeager, Oak Ridge Animal Shelter, Phil Warfield, public nuisance lawsuit, Rodney Archer, Steve Mead, Terry Frank

No one injured, but three briefly trapped by factory roof collapse

Posted at 10:14 pm February 21, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Pharma Packaging Roof Collapse

The factory roof at Pharma Packaging in Andersonville collapsed on Saturday night. Three workers were briefly trapped, but no one was injured.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10:47 p.m.

ANDERSONVILLE—No one was injured, but three workers were briefly trapped when a roof collapsed at a factory in Andersonville on Saturday, possibly because of ice and snow buildup, authorities said.

The roof collapse was reported at about 7:40 p.m. Saturday. Seven people were inside the Carton Service/Pharma Packaging building on First Quality Drive at the time, said Del Kennedy, chief of the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department.

Four workers were able to make it out, and firefighters had to help the other three escape from a break room, near the front of the building, at the edge of the factory space behind it. All the workers were in or near the break room at the time of the collapse, Kennedy said.

He estimated that 50 percent of the roof, which was about 40 feet above the factory floor, had collapsed over that portion of the building. There was only a small crew working at the time, Kennedy said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Andersonville, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: And, Andersonville, Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, Del Kennedy, First Quality Drive, ice, Pharma Packaging, roof, roof collapse, snow

Andersonville home destroyed by fire

Posted at 11:15 am December 24, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

A fire early Wednesday morning destroyed a home in Andersonville.

The Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department was called to the home on Foust Hollow Lane at around 1 a.m. and had the fire extinguished about an hour and a half later.

One person inside the home at the time of the fire was able to make it out safely, and no injuries were reported. Officials deemed the house a total loss and are continuing to investigate to determine the cause of the early-morning blaze.

Filed Under: Andersonville, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Andersonville, Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, fire, Foust Hollow Lane

Anderson committee to consider tax agreement for OR mall redevelopment

Posted at 3:45 pm October 12, 2014
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Oak Ridge Village Area Rendering

 

It’s already been approved by the Oak Ridge City Council, and a 10-year extension of the $13 million tax agreement that could be used to help redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall will next be considered by Anderson County officials.

The agreement will be considered by the Anderson County Operations Committee on Monday evening. It could then be considered by the full Anderson County Commission later this month.

Like Oak Ridge officials, Anderson County officials will consider extending the tax agreement for the 59-acre project by 10 years—from 20 years to 30.

Officials have described the proposed redevelopment, named Main Street Oak Ridge, as an $80 million project that could fill a “hole in the heart” of Oak Ridge, bring new retail life to the city’s downtown, and build a lasting legacy. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Business, Business, Government, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Operations Committee, Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, AVFD, Jeff Bagwell, loans, Main Street—Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Mall, Office of Aging, property tax revenues, redevelopment, Rodney Reeder, senior citizen center, tax agreement, tax increment financing, TIF

AVFD open house on Saturday

Posted at 5:15 pm September 18, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The public is invited to an open house event this Saturday, September 20, from 2 to 6 p.m. at all three Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department stations.

The AVFD recently scrapped its controversial subscription program in favor of its former donation-based service, and there is a new chief on duty. Rodney Reeder invites everyone to stop in and visit with firefighters at any or all of the stations, which are located at 1957 Mountain Road in Andersonville, 203 Mountain View Lane in Heiskell, and 197 Sequoyah Road in Andersonville.

Stop in and check out the new look AVFD this Saturday.

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Police and Fire Tagged With: Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, AVFD, open house, Rodney Reeder, subscription program

AC committee recommends suspension of AVFD money

Posted at 9:46 pm April 17, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Commission’s Operations Committee voted Monday to recommend suspending the county’s annual $20,000 appropriation to the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department for as long as it remains a subscription-based service.

The county has for some time now donated $20,000 each year to each of the county’s 10 volunteer fire departments and the all-volunteer rescue squad on a rotating basis, but after the AVFD announced it was moving to the subscription-based service, efforts were undertaken to remove it from that rotation. The fire department was criticized by citizens and some county officials when it launched the program two years ago, not only for charging a fee, but also for how the rollout of the program was handled.

The County Commission will consider that recommendation on Monday.

Filed Under: Anderson County, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Operations Committe, Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, appropriation, AVFD, rescue squad, volunteer fire department

Andersonville fire displaces family on Christmas Eve

Posted at 12:21 pm December 26, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

A Tuesday morning fire badly damaged an Andersonville family’s home.

The fire started around 5:30 a.m. off Hinds Creek Road near Norris Freeway. According to the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, no one was hurt in the fire that destroyed about half of the home.

Firefighters say the blaze started near the dryer in the utility room and that it was an electrical fire, but it is unclear exactly what started it. There were space heaters connected to an extension cord near where the fire started. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Andersonville, Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, Christmas Eve, electrical fire, fire, Hinds Creek Road, Norris Freeway, Red Cross

Norris Freeway outbuilding burns

Posted at 1:14 pm October 14, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

A storage building on Norris Freeway went up in flames early Saturday morning. The fire in the 3000 block of Norris Freeway was extinguished by the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, but officials were not able to determine the cause of the fire.

The house that shared the property was vacant.

Filed Under: Anderson County, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, fire, Norris Freeway, storage building

Andersonville Fire Department to hold open house, grand opening today

Posted at 3:00 pm August 27, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

The Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department will officially open its third fire hall in mid-September, but the department is offering citizens a chance to get a look at the new station during an open house and grand opening celebration set for today (Tuesday) at 4 p.m.

The Belmont station, built by volunteers at a cost of $110,000, is located at the intersection of Park Road and Sequoyah Lane on the former site of the Belmont School, which burned down in the mid-1960s. The new fire station is 5,000 square feet in size. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Government, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Commission, Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, Belmont, fire hall, fire trucks, grand opening, open house, Park Road, Sequoyah Lane, subscription-based fee service

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Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

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...]

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