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Half of power outages this year caused by falling trees, tree limbs

Posted at 3:13 pm July 22, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A fallen tree on Wiltshire Drive caused widespread power outages on Thursday, May 27, 2021. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Half of the power outages in Oak Ridge this year have been caused by falling trees and tree limbs, Electric Director Ardo Ba told City Council on Tuesday.

Since January, vegetation has accounted for about 50 percent of power outages, Ba said.

Animals such as squirrels and snakes have caused about 13 percent of the power outages in the past six to seven months, and equipment failures, traffic crashes, and other causes have accounted for roughly 37 percent of the outages, Ba said.

Ba provided some details about significant power outages this year. The largest outage occurred on July 8 on Tuskegee Drive near a city fire station, when a transmission line switch caught fire. More than 8,400 people power.

The next largest outage was caused by a tree falling on a transmission line on Wiltshire Drive on May 27. The 150-foot tree that fell on the transmission line had been well outside the right-of-way, Ba said. That line provided a main feed to two substations, and more than 7,200 customers lost power when the tree fell on the transmission line.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Ardo Ba, Oak Ridge City Council, power outage

Ardo Ba named Oak Ridge electric director

Posted at 1:39 pm July 8, 2021
By Oak Ridge Today Obituaries Leave a Comment

Ardo Ba

The City of Oak Ridge has named Ardo Ba as its new electric director.

Ba, who previously served as Oak Ridge Electric Department’s electric operations manager, has served as interim electric director since former Director Jack Sugg’s promotion to deputy city ,anager in March. Ba begins this role immediately.

“I’ve been with the Oak Ridge Electric Department since 2009, when I started as an electrical project manager,” Ba said in a press release. “We have a great group of people working together to keep the lights on and life running, and I am ready to move our department forward as its next director.”

Ba was promoted to electric operations manager in 2017. In that role, he directed and managed Electric Department crews, including contract crews. He made sure departmental staff were up to date on training and ensured compliance with all safety-related practices, laws, and regulations, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Ardo Ba, electric director, Jack Suggs, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge Electric Department

Suggs promoted to deputy city manager

Posted at 6:30 pm March 8, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Jack Suggs

Oak Ridge Electric Director Jack Suggs has been promoted to deputy city manager. He will start his new job Monday, March 8.

In his new position, Suggs will help with several projects, including the new water plant, economic development projects, computer software, and the transfer of the Oak Ridge Airport project, the city said in a press release.

Suggs’ promotion will allow other potential leaders to advance, most immediately in the Oak Ridge Electric Department, the press release said. Ardo Ba, who is currently the department’s electric operations manager, will serve as interim electric director.

“The city is fortunate to have someone with a unique set of engineering, business, and operations knowledge and experience who is able to step up,” Suggs said of Ba. “I am confident that I am leaving the department in capable hands.”

Suggs joined the City of Oak Ridge in 1989 as assistant director of public works after having served in related professional positions in Texas. He began serving as electric director in 1991.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Ardo Ba, deputy city manager, electric director, Jack Suggs, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Electric Department

She alleges abuse, imprisonment, Sharia law; he cites immigration as possible motive for claims

Posted at 2:47 pm December 8, 2015
By John Huotari 2 Comments

The wife of a city employee has alleged that she has essentially been held captive in a home that operates under Sharia law, been physically abused, not allowed to work or go to school, and deprived of food and medical care.

But her husband, an Oak Ridge Electric Department project manager, said he can prove that the charges are unfounded. He called the allegations, which were publicized in a newspaper story last month, “salacious accusations.” The allegations sparked a social media backlash against the city employee, Oak Ridge Electric Department Project Manager Ardo Isma Ba.

The Oak Ridge Police Department has investigated some of the allegations against Ba, including the charge that he held his wife, Madina Sall, against her will for the past three years. That information was reported to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, where Ba is a reserve deputy.

Ba was not charged after the investigation. Officers said Sall’s definition of abuse is different than what is defined in Tennessee law. Also, detectives appeared to have questions about the accuracy of some of the information, and they warned Sall of the consequences of reporting false information to law enforcement.

“The matter did appear to be a non-criminal matter due to the initial information given to (the Knox County Sheriff’s Office) not being accurate and no proof that any physical abuse has occurred,” the ORPD said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Front Page News, Government, Knox County, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County chancellor, Anderson County Chancery Court, Ardo Ba, Ardo Isma Ba, City of Oak Ridge, David Stephens, Jack Suggs, Kevin Craig, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Lauren R. Biloski, M. Nichole Cantrell, Madina Sall, Oak Ridge Electric Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, order of protection, ORPD, Patrick B. Slaughter, Sharia law, Williams Weaver

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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...]

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