Oak Ridge Today





Motorsports park will not be built in Oak Ridge

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Horizon-Center-Motorsports-Track-6-Feb-11-2020
Part of the site where a test track and research facility or motorsports park was proposed on the back side of Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge is pictured above on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The proposed motorsports park will not be built in Oak Ridge, the developer announced Tuesday after learning that an environmental impact statement would be required, and that the study could cost several million dollars and take several years.

Rusty Bittle, developer and founding partner of the Oak Ridge Motorsports Park, said he would try to relocate the proposed project. The name will be changed as well, Bittle said.

“After more than a year of discussions between the City of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, and the U.S. Department of Energy, Bittle decided to relocate the project to another East Tennessee community that offers more attractive options for the project,” a press release said.

“An East Tennessee motorsports park is a legacy project for me,” Bittle said in the press release. “The State of Tennessee has a reputation for automotive excellence, we are leading the way on advanced transportation technologies like electric vehicles, lightweight composites, and artificial intelligence. A motorsports park will help the state and host community build an international reputation for next generation transportation technologies and become a tourism destination for automotive enthusiasts.”

[Read more…]

Controlled burns in west Oak Ridge

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Tennessee Division of Forestry and the U.S. Department of Energy will have controlled burns beginning at noon and ending at 7 p.m. Monday, April 5.

The controlled burns will continue Tuesday if necessary, the City of Oak Ridge said.

The controlled burn will be in the area of Wisconsin and Whippoorwill Drive in west Oak Ridge.

[Read more…]

UT-Battelle Development Corp. contributes $500,000 for proposed airport

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pictured above is Jeff Smith, president of UT-Battelle Development Corporation and vice chair of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The City of Oak Ridge said it has received a $500,000 contribution from the UT-Battelle Development Corporation to help with the planned airport at Heritage Center, the former K-25 site in west Oak Ridge.

The contribution is meant to provide funding that can be used to secure state and/or federal grants that require a local funding match, a city press release said.

Thomas Zacharia, president and chief executive officer of UT-Battelle and director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Jeff Smith, president of UT-Battelle Development Corporation, presented the contribution to Oak Ridge City Council at its March 8 meeting. Smith is also vice chair of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority.

“I believe the presence of a new airport will be a key differentiator for this community because it supports existing trends so clearly: The airport will make Oak Ridge more attractive to companies and professionals interested in low-cost, high-quality communities with easy access to other cities,” Zacharia said, according to the press release.

[Read more…]

Parking at Melton Lake Park to be closed for regatta March 13 & 14

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Rowing at Melton Hill Lake (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The parking lots at Melton Lake Park will be closed to the public during a regatta next week.

The regatta, the 2021 Oak Ridge Louisville Cardinal Invitational Regatta, is scheduled on Saturday, March 13, and Sunday, March 14. It’s hosted by the City of Oak Ridge in partnership with the Oak Ridge Rowing Association, a press release said.

It’s an invitation-only event, and it will feature elite college women’s rowing teams who will compete in one of the first events of the season, the press release said.

To comply with ACC and Big 10 COVID-19 guidelines, this is a “no spectator” event, the press release said. As a result, the parking lots at Melton Lake Park will be closed to the public during the regatta, the release said.

[Read more…]

Blasius to discuss Downtown Oak Ridge on Tuesday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Wayne Blasius

Wayne Blasius, community development director for the City of Oak Ridge, will discuss the current status of Downtown Oak Ridge during a lunchtime meeting on Tuesday.

The meeting will be hosted by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, and it will be online. League members and nonmembers receiving this announcement will receive the zoom link before March 2, a press release said.

For instructions on how to access the presentation on Tuesday, send an email to [email protected]. A couple of days following the presentation, you may view the recorded session on the League’s website at https://my.lwv.org/tennessee/oak-ridge.

[Read more…]

Oak Ridge releases water quality report

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The annual water quality report is now available for viewing on the City of Oak Ridge website, and the report says Oak Ridge water was in compliance with state and federal drinking water requirements, a press release said.

You can read the report here: www.oakridgetn.gov/online/water-quality-2020.

Also known as the Consumer Confidence Report, it was mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1998 as an amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act, the press release said.

[Read more…]

City has second public meeting on new entrance sign

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge of a proposed sign along South Illinois Avenue/Pellissippi Parkway (State Route 62)

The City of Oak Ridge will have its second public meeting on a new sign at the city’s entrance on South Illinois Avenue at 3 p.m. today (Thursday, February 18).

The public meetings are to receive input on the design of the new sign, which will be at the entrance to Oak Ridge from Knox County in Solway.

The sign will be placed on the island between South Illinois Avenue (Pellissippi Parkway/State Route 62) and Bethel Valley Road. It would be near the exit drivers use to go to Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex.

The public meetings are being held online on Zoom. The first meeting was Wednesday. During the meetings, people can join and view the designs, ask questions, and leave their feedback verbally or in the chat. The two meetings will be audio- and video-recorded and subtitles will appear on screen for those who are hearing-impaired.

[Read more…]

Construction of new water plant could start in May, be complete next year

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

An image showing the interior of the proposed new 16-million-gallon-per-day water treatment plant at the City of Oak Ridge water intake on the Clinch River south of Bethel Valley Road. (Image courtesy of Jacobs Engineering Group and the City of Oak Ridge)

Construction of the new water plant at the city’s water intake on the Clinch River could start in May and be complete in December 2022, according to a proposed schedule presented to Oak Ridge City Council.

The Council on Monday will consider a construction administration contract for the new water plant, which would be south of Bethel Valley Road. It would be able to treat 16 million gallons of water per day.

If approved Monday, the professional engineering services agreement would be with Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. of Knoxville. The contract would be valued at up to about $1.88 million. It would be for construction administration and observation of the construction of the new water treatment plant and a main transmission line.

Approval of the agreement with Jacobs Engineering on Monday could be contingent upon the city’s ability to use Drinking Water State Revolving Funding, which is pending approval, according to the resolution to be considered by Council.

[Read more…]

South Illinois Avenue to re-open by midnight

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

South Illinois Avenue is expected to re-open by midnight Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021, near the University of Tennessee Arboretum after being closed for more than two days because of a large high-voltage transmission tower that was knocked over in a crash on Friday. The repair work is pictured above on Sunday. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

South Illinois Avenue is expected to re-open by midnight near the University of Tennessee Arboretum after being closed for more than two days because a large high-voltage transmission tower was knocked over near the road in a crash on Friday. The road re-opening is expected to occur before the Monday morning commute.

Power is still out for a small southeast portion of the city near the crash site, including the University of Tennessee Arboretum, the City of Oak Ridge said Sunday evening.

The single-vehicle crash into the Tennessee Valley Authority steel lattice transmission tower was reported at Union Valley Road at about 4:15 p.m. Friday. That section of the four-lane road, also known as State Route 62 and Pellissippi Parkway, has been closed since shortly after the crash. The road is the main connection between Oak Ridge, Knox County, and Knoxville.

TVA and the Oak Ridge Electric Department worked over the weekend to replace the damaged transmission tower, which carries TVA and Oak Ridge power lines. The repair crews had help from the Oak Ridge Police Department and Oak Ridge Public Works Department. It was a complex emergency repair, the City of Oak Ridge said.

[Read more…]

Photos: TVA transmission tower repair

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Crews replace the Tennessee Valley Authority’s high-voltage steel lattice transmission tower knocked over in a crash at Union Valley Road and South Illinois Avenue on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The City of Oak Ridge has published photos of the work to replace the high-voltage steel lattice transmission tower knocked over in a single-vehicle crash at Union Valley Road and South Illinois Avenue on Friday.

The city said the Tennessee Valley Authority and Oak Ridge Electric Department crews are working together, with help from the Oak Ridge Police Department and Public Works Department, to “maintain a safe work environment for a very complex emergency repair.

“Crews are working to have South Illinois Avenue at Union Valley Road open as soon as possible,” the city said.

On Sunday, TVA said the repair work could be complete in time to re-open South Illinois Avenue, a four-lane roadway that connects Oak Ridge to Knox County, for the Monday morning commute. That’s assuming there are no delays due to weather or drilling problems.

[Read more…]

Crews repairing damage after crash knocks down power tower

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Crews repair the damage to the Tennessee Valley Authority distribution system after a pickup truck crashed into a steel lattice transmission tower, causing widespread power outages in Oak Ridge and the surrounding area on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. The work is pictured above on Saturday evening. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Crews were repairing the damage to the Tennessee Valley Authority power distribution system on Saturday after a pickup truck crashed into a large high-voltage steel lattice transmission tower on Friday, knocking it down and causing widespread electrical outages.

All four lanes of South Illinois Avenue (State Route 62) in Oak Ridge remain closed between Lafayette Drive/Scarboro Road and Bethel Valley Road while the repairs are being made. It’s not clear how long the work might take. The road remains closed because of heavy equipment, low hanging lines, and the safety of work crews, the City of Oak Ridge said Saturday.

Power to the University of Tennessee Arboretum remained out Saturday evening, the city said.

The steel lattice tower that was damaged Friday appeared to have been removed by Saturday evening, or it was no longer leaning near the roadway the way it had been Friday.

The crash was reported at Union Valley Road and South Illinois Avenue, near the UT Arboretum, at about 4:15 p.m. Friday. Three people were injured, and charges are pending against the driver.

[Read more…]

Current status of city facilities due to COVID

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge officials continue to ask residents to conduct municipal business over the phone and by phone when possible because of COVID-19.

On Wednesday, the City of Oak Ridge released an update about city facilities as the world continues to be affected by the pandemic.

The city said it is supporting the Tennessee Pledge of the state government. You can refer to State of Tennessee websites for updates and advice on precautions to be taken by particular businesses, a press release said.

City facilities will continue to be operated as below as precautions and security matters are considered for the safety of employees, and social distancing for customers, the press release said. Visitors may receive a temperature scan and be asked about their current health, the press release said. You can call the city manager’s office or department offices on the city’s website for more information.

[Read more…]

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today