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City crews work on 35 water line breaks this month

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An Oak Ridge Public Works Department crew repairs a broken water line underneath Northwestern Avenue near Nevada Circle at lunchtime Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018. The crew here is supervised by Oak Ridge Public Works Department Utility Line Maintenance Crew Chief Michael Brown. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

An Oak Ridge Public Works Department crew repairs a broken water line underneath Northwestern Avenue near Nevada Circle at lunchtime Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018. The crew here is supervised by Oak Ridge Public Works Department Utility Line Maintenance Crew Chief Michael Brown. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge crews have responded to 35 water main breaks since January 1, an average of about five per day, City Manager Mark Watson told City Council members on Monday.

There could be more water line breaks as the temperature warms, Watson said.

The city is plotting the water line breaks on a map for more comprehensive repairs.

Cast-iron water pipes can break when the ground shifts as it freezes and then thaws in cold winter weather. [Read more…]

Community volunteer Tom Row receives mayoral proclamation

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Oak Ridge resident Thomas Row, center, who has been a volunteer with more than 40 nonprofit and professional organizations throughout his life, was honored with a mayoral proclamation at the City Council meeting on Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. Also pictured are City Council members Jim Dodson, right, and Hans Vogel. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

Oak Ridge resident Thomas Row, center, who has been a volunteer with more than 40 nonprofit and professional organizations throughout his life, was honored with a mayoral proclamation at the City Council meeting on Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. Also pictured are City Council members Jim Dodson, right, and Hans Vogel. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

Oak Ridge resident Thomas Row, who has been a volunteer with more than 40 nonprofit and professional organizations throughout his life, was honored with a mayoral proclamation at the City Council meeting this month.

The proclamation recognized Row’s distinguished service and contributions to the community, the City of Oak Ridge said in its November 2017 newsletter.

Several of the more than 40 nonprofit and professional organizations where Row has been a volunteer have had a significant impact on Oak Ridge and Anderson County, the city said. [Read more…]

Gooch re-appointed mayor, Chinn replaces Smith as mayor pro tem

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Warren Gooch

Warren Gooch (File photo by Savanna Schubert)

 

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch has been elected by City Council to a second two-year term as mayor, and City Council member Rick Chinn was appointed mayor pro tem, replacing Ellen Smith.

No other City Council member sought to be appointed mayor, and Gooch, who was first appointed after he was elected in 2014, was unanimously elected by the new City Council.

Smith and Chinn both sought to be appointed mayor pro tem. The mayor pro tem serves as mayor when the mayor is temporarily unavailable. [Read more…]

Letter: Dodson has wisdom, experience, professionalism, thoughtful creativity

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To the Editor:

As a young voter frustrated by the embarrassing dialogue of our national election, I am so happy we have a candidate for Oak Ridge City Council that commands the wisdom and leadership qualities we seek and in which we can place much confidence. I appeal to you to take a close look at Jim Dodson, candidate for Oak Ridge City Council.

Jim Dodson has a history of stepping up and taking initiative and leadership in programs that are good for Oak Ridge, Tennessee, its citizens, and businesses.

I am personally aware that for many years he initiated and organized displays and competitions of art work by Oak Ridge students and others across Tennessee and has raised millions of dollars for scholarships. His foresight and leadership go beyond his concentration on the arts and continue to be recognized. This website includes a brief synopsis: http://www.tennesseeartsacademy.org/about-us/staff.aspx. [Read more…]

Letter: Dodson can apply enthusiasm, knowledge, abilities on City Council

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To the Editor:

Thirty years or so ago, I was the principal of Jefferson Junior High School when we lost our art teacher. We typically interviewed five to 15 applicants for vacant teaching positions, and Jim Dodson was among those we talked to.

I had been interviewing for several years at that point and had realized that very occasionally someone would apply for a job who was so well qualified, so well spoken and convincingly knowledgeable, so all around good that just about anyone would have recognized him/her as the person to hire. Jim Dodson was that kind of applicant (his references saw him as we did).

The time I spent in his classroom observing him teach that year and in the years that followed only embellished what I had hoped was true when we first met him. [Read more…]

Letter: Lee professional, informed about issues and solutions, passionate about city growth

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To the Editor:

I met Mr. Joseph Lee shortly after my family moved to Oak Ridge in 2005. He introduced himself to me and welcomed us to Oak Ridge. Mr. Lee did not ask me if I was a Democrat or Republican, didn’t ask about our religion, or what my background was. He simply welcomed me to Oak Ridge! He may not even remember.

Early on as a resident, I got involved in promotion of the city in the campaign to bring Target to Oak Ridge. Even as a short-time resident, it was easy to see Oak Ridge needed more shopping options and opportunities to increase both sales and property tax bases. I observed Joe Lee promoting passage of the referendum.

Mr. Lee’s promotion of and work in support of Oak Ridge didn’t end with Oak Ridge losing Target. I learned that Mr. Lee was on the board of the Oak Ridge Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals. Among work on that board, Joe Lee proffered the strategy that formed the basis of the plan to restore the Guest House. Mr. Lee worked diligently to affect resolutions of blighted and abandoned properties. [Read more…]

Opinion: Liquor licensees—changing the rules in the middle of the game?

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oak-ridge-city-council-ellen-smith-sept-14-2015

Ellen Smith (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

At the Monday night City Council meeting, some rules got changed in the middle of the game. That was unsportsmanlike—and it was not business-friendly.

Oak Ridge has an ordinance (dating back nearly 50 years) requiring that owners and operators of retail liquor establishments (liquor stores) must be city residents, unless Council votes to waive the requirement. And Council has routinely waived that residency requirement for everyone who requests a waiver. I’m not aware that anyone was ever denied a waiver—and very few liquor sellers actually live in the city.

Since we don’t require owners of any other type of business to live in the city and since the residency requirement hasn’t been enforced, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to keep it on the books. It’s just one of several antiquated ordinances related to liquor that need to be updated (a topic I’ve discussed with legal staff). But we have to live with it for now. [Read more…]

Fillauer, the school board chair, seeks re-election to BOE

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Keys Fillauer

Keys Fillauer

Keys Fillauer is seeking to be re-elected to the Oak Ridge Board of Education.

Fillauer has served on the school board for 15 years and has served as chair for the last four years. He also serves as East director for the Tennessee School Board Association Board of Directors.

Fillauer is a retired Oak Ridge teacher and coach. He taught and coached at Robertsville Junior High for 27 years and at Oak Ridge High School for four years, a press release said. Fillauer has been recognized as a member of the All Tennessee School Board, Tennessee Teacher of the Year, and Freedom Foundation Award winner, and he received the Governor’s Outstanding Tennessean Award.

Fillauer has also received the Service Above Self award from the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club, the press release said. He is a member of the Oak Ridge Sports Hall of Fame and the Anderson County Hall of Fame.

Fillauer serves as president of a property management business in Cleveland, Tennessee. He is involved in many fundraising efforts, especially for the Ronald McDonald House, the press release said. [Read more…]

Letter: Make Vogel one of your three choices for City Council

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To the Editor:

We are very fortunate to have several candidates running for City Council on issues that Council actually works on. Continuing good schools seems to be on all platforms and should be. Safety for citizens and the community is also very important. How to pay for these without raising taxes is probably the most important part of the platform. Oak Ridge is a city dependent on the U.S. government more than most Tennessee cities. During the early years, scientists and engineers from the “plants” lived in Oak Ridge and made it a well-run, highly educated city that was famous the world over.

Some of the “plants” are still here and now are making scientific breakthroughs that are changing manufacturing in this country. 3-D printing, carbon fibers, and the Spallation Neutron Source are part of great scientific achievements. However, less than one-half of the employees live in Oak Ridge, and almost no new manufacturing is moving here to take advantage of this great success coming out of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex. That can change. [Read more…]

Letter: Dodson has positive outlook, believes passionately in Oak Ridge

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To Oak Ridge Today:

We have known Jim Dodson, candidate for City Council, for almost 30 years. We first met him when he began teaching art at Jefferson Middle School, where he still teaches. A superb artist himself, Jim has fostered the artistic talents of many students who have gone on to win local and regional art competitions.

Jim has a positive outlook on life. No matter what the circumstances, Jim looks for the best in every person and every situation. This has made him a fantastic teacher and leader. He has served on the board of directors for several arts and civic organizations and is highly respected for his leadership abilities and his work ethic. I served on the Arts Council when he was president. He was always highly organized and prepared for every meeting. He researched the issues involved before each meeting and treated every board member with respect. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge receives $500,000 housing grant

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Oak Ridge has received a $500,000 state housing grant from the Tennessee Housing Development Agency.

The city will use the THDA funds to renovate and weatherize 63 owner-occupied, single-family homes in the Manhattan District Overlay zone, a press release said.

The grant award will be presented to the City of Oak Ridge at 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 8, at 138 South Purdue Avenue in the Woodland neighborhood.

That property at the corner of South Purdue Avenue and Northwestern Avenue is the site of a recent project that is part of the city’s effort to renovate substandard houses. The City of Oak Ridge bought a blighted home there in April 2014 and demolished it in June 2014. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge could lose $500K-$700K per year under Hall tax repeal

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McNally-Ragan-Calfee-at-Breakfast-with-Legislators-April-25-2016

The reduction and repeal of the Hall income tax was among the issues discussed during a Breakfast with the Legislators on Monday, April 25, 2016. Pictured above from left are Sen. Randy McNally, Rep. John Ragan, and Rep. Kent Calfee. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:30 p.m.

Oak Ridge could lose $500,000-$700,000 per year in revenues if the repeal of the Hall income tax is approved, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said last week.

If Governor Bill Haslam signs a bill that the state legislature passed Friday, the tax, which was enacted in 1929, would be eliminated in the 2022 tax year. Haslam has not said whether he will the sign the bill into law or veto it.

If it becomes law, the bill could cost Oak Ridge about $119,000 in the fiscal year that starts July 1, or about 1.25 cents on the property tax rate, Mayor Warren Gooch said Saturday. The legislation would reduce the Hall income tax on stock and dividend income from 6 percent to 5 percent in the 2016 tax year.

The tax would be reduced by 1 percent per year after that until it is eliminated by 2022.

The Hall income tax generated total revenue of $303.4 million in Tennessee in fiscal year 2014-15, and $105.5 million went to cities and counties, with the rest going to the state.

On Thursday, Watson said the amount dispersed to Oak Ridge varies between about $500,000 to $700,000 per year. State data shows Oak Ridge collected about $708,000 in 2015. [Read more…]

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