Oak Ridge Today

 

Read city manager’s retirement letter

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Mark Watson

This is a copy of the January 17 retirement letter from Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson to the seven Oak Ridge City Council members.

Since August of 2010, I have been proud to serve the City of Oak Ridge as its City Manager.

During that time, I have engaged the community in visionary changes that move the City toward a bright future creating economic vitality, jobs for our citizens, and a stronger quality of life for all.

Over the past twelve years, we have seen major changes and improvements to our internal organization and our external relationships with surrounding communities. This year, I was recognized for 45 years of public service by my profession. It is now time for me to announce my retirement. Serving in four states, eight cities, seven city manager positions and working for over 100 mayors and city council members, I believe it is time to begin the process of selecting a successor for Oak Ridge.

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Power to TRISO at Horizon could cost $13 million

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This map shows the potential route of 69-kilovolt overhead power lines for the TRISO-X nuclear fuel facility at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge, starting at the substation (SUB) on the south side of Highway 95/58 (lower right), continuing up Novus Drive (center right), crossing onto Horizon Center land, and then running east (to the right) on the back side of Site 6 (open area at upper right).

Building a new substation and electrical lines to supply power to a nuclear fuel company could cost $13 million, Oak Ridge officials said in December.

The nuclear fuel company, TRISO-X, needs about 32 to 35 megawatts of electricity at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge. That would make the company the city’s biggest electrical customer. (Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex get most of their power directly from Tennessee Valley Authority.)

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Updated: TVA ends rolling blackouts

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Note: This story was last updated at 12 p.m.

Mandatory rolling power blackouts continued in Oak Ridge and across the region Saturday morning. The City of Oak Ridge announced at about 11:40 a.m. Saturday that the power outages had been terminated.

Here is the previous story:

The blackouts will affect 10 percent of customers at a time, and power outages will last about 30 minutes, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. That’s a larger percentage of customers who will be affected by the Saturday outages than the ones on Friday, when about 2 percent of Oak Ridge customers were affected.

The Tennessee Valley Authority, which provides power to the City of Oak Ridge, said the blackouts are necessary because of the extreme weather conditions, according to the press release. The power demand is high as temperatures have dropped into the single digits in what has been called a “once-in-a-generation” storm.

TVA said the power demand is among its highest in its nearly 90-year history. Typical power demands for December are around 24,000 megawatts. On Friday, power demands surpassed 33,000 megawatts, TVA said.

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City seeks spending authority for Horizon Center power

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Nuclear fuel company TRISO-X needs electrical power for a manufacturing facility in Horizon Center by December 2024, and the Oak Ridge Electric Department wants the authority to spend up to $3 million to help make that possible. (Image by City of Oak Ridge)

Nuclear fuel company TRISO-X needs electrical power for a manufacturing facility in Horizon Center by December 2024, and the Oak Ridge Electric Department wants the authority to spend up to $3 million to help make that possible.

If approved by Oak Ridge City Council, the money would be used to design and build a new electric substation and distribution network to provide power to Lot 6 on the back side of Horizon Center, which is on the west side of town. The work would include engineering design, land surveys, site clearing, the purchase of materials, and acquiring permits and other required items.

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Fire damages home on Lansing Road

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A fire on Friday afternoon damaged a home on South Lansing Road, according to the City of Oak Ridge.

The Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to the fire at 12:45 p.m. Friday.

“Multiple callers to 911 reported fire was visible through the windows and roof,” the city said in a press release. “ORFD crews arrived within five minutes of the call with 17 personnel. The first unit arrived on scene and found heavy fire from the rear of the structure. A hose line was taken in the home to begin suppression efforts. The Oak Ridge Electric Department also responded to secure power to the affected building. The fire heavily damaged one half of the building, while the other half had smoke and water damage.”

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City accepting applications for boards, commissions

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The City of Oak Ridge is accepting applications for board members on 15 city boards or commissions.

Oak Ridge residency is required for appointments, and members serve without compensation, a press release said.

People interested in serving on any of the boards or commissions must submit a completed Boards and Commissions Application online or to the City Clerk’s Office by 5 p.m. on Friday, December 30.

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Oak Ridge names first honorary poet laureate

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Erin Elizabeth Smith

The City of Oak Ridge has named Erin Elizabeth Smith as its first honorary poet laureate. Smith will serve in this role for a two-year period, a press release said.

“In this role, she will inspire and promote literacy and literature to the residents of the city at things like cultural events and city celebrations,” the press release said. “With Oak Ridge being a unique community as the first and primary Manhattan Project site, it places a high value on literacy as foundation to our other values of education, science, technology, and environmental stewardship.”

In the fall of 2021, Oak Ridge City Council was approached about the concept of establishing the honorary position of poet laureate for the city. City Council was in concurrence, the Oak Ridge Poet Laureate Committee was created, and a nomination and selection process took place, the press release said.

Smith was selected after a detailed review of three nominees and was formally designated to the role at the February 14 City Council meeting.

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ORPD has memorial, reward funds for Baby Wyatt

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The Oak Ridge Police Department and Police Chief Robin Smith offered a $1,000 reward for information about the baby boy found dead near the river bank along Melton Lake Greenway on Thursday, March 26, 2020. The Oak Ridge Police Department has named the baby boy “Wyatt,” which means “little warrior,” the city said. On Thursday, April 2, 2020, ORPD officers and the Oak Ridge Fire Department set up a memorial in baby Wyatt’s name near the parking area on Melton Lake at Edgemoor Road. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Police Department currently has two funds for Baby Wyatt, the unidentified newborn boy found dead in Melton Hill Lake almost two years ago.

The two funds are a memorial fund ($950) and a reward fund ($1,000).

Separate from those two funds, the ORPD has received a $5,246 grant for genetic testing to identify Baby Wyatt. That money will be used specifically for the Baby Wyatt investigation, and any funds left from that grant will be returned to the grant provider, Season of Justice, of Indianapolis, Indiana, the City of Oak Ridge said Monday.

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First employee art contest raises $608 for Project Safe, ADFAC

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Back row, left to right, are Brittany Burger, Oak Ridge Police Department (ORPD); Jim Sherrill, Utilities Business Office (UBO); Lt. Matthew Tedford, ORPD; and Andrew Lape, UBO. Middle row, left to right, are Rachelle Clowers, Jamie Fischer, DeDe Wolfe, and Amy Justice, all of UBO. Front row, left to right, are Marlene Bannon, UBO; Kirsten Aslinger, UBO; Annie Cacheiro, ADFAC; and Joey Smith, ADFAC. (Submitted photo)


The City of Oak Ridge had its first employee art contest benefitting Project Safe, a program administered by Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC), this fall, and the winners and donation totals are in, a press release said.

The theme for the inaugural art contest, which ran from October 4 through November 17, 2021, was “City of Oak Ridge Facilities, Services, or People.”

Employees were invited to create artwork within this theme and then the work was placed on display for voting.

Employees could make $1 donations to Project Safe to cast a vote for their favorite pieces. Project Safe helps those in our community who need assistance with utility bills, the press release said.

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City of Oak Ridge accepting nominations for poet laureate

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The Oak Ridge Public Library is supporting an initiative to select and name a poet laureate for the City of Oak Ridge.

The Oak Ridge Poet Laureate Committee is seeking a poet of excellence, who has lived in Oak Ridge for at least one year and is inspired to represent the city and all it strives to be, a press release said.

“Anyone can nominate someone they believe is best fit for the role and self-nominations are accepted as long as they can continue to live in the city throughout the appointment,” the press release said. “They must have significant publication history including books (excluding self-published and vanity presses), and in a variety of journals, and/or media. They must have received recognition in the field and have demonstrated literary excellence.”

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Student identified, charges pending in new shooting threat

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The Oak Ridge Police Department has identified the student responsible for posting a new shooting threat on Snapchat about Oak Ridge High School, and charges are pending, city and school officials said Wednesday.

“ORHS had another social media shooting threat last night,” the City of Oak Ridge said in a brief statement. “The juvenile suspect was identified overnight, and the threat was determined not viable. Charges are forthcoming. School continued as normal this morning.”

The new Snapchat threats were posted at about 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, after two students were identified as being responsible for a previous threat posted Monday, according to information from Oak Ridge Schools.

“We immediately contacted the Oak Ridge Police Department and are pleased to share that they have been successful in identifying the student responsible for posting these threats,” school officials said. “We are appreciative of their expedient action and resolve of this safety concern.”

Families received a phone call about the new threats early Wednesday.

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Two juveniles identified in ORHS social media threat

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The Oak Ridge Police Department identified two juveniles Tuesday in connection to the shooting threat posted on social media that prompted a lockdown at Oak Ridge High School on Monday.

“Both juveniles admitted to making the threat,” the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. “Throughout the course of the investigation, it has been determined that no weapon was ever involved. Charges are forthcoming.”

The press release did not identify the juveniles or the specific threat. On Monday, the city said it was a shooting threat.

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