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Independence Day fireworks show is July 4 at A.K. Bissell Park

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Fireworks at Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2017. (Photo by D. Ray Smith)

Fireworks at Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2017. (Photo by D. Ray Smith)

 

The annual Oak Ridge fireworks show is Independence Day, July 4, at Alvin K. Bissell Park. The fireworks are sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge.

The show is scheduled to begin at dark, around 9:45 p.m.

The Oak Ridge Community Band, now in its 74th year, will perform prior to the fireworks, a press release said. The concert is free, but donations are accepted by the band to help cover the cost of equipment and other expenses. The music is expected to begin at 7:30 p.m.

Anyone planning to attend is advised to bring a lawn chair or blanket for outdoor seating. A safety zone will be established by the Oak Ridge Fire Department. [Read more…]

Learn more about new AMSE on Thursday

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Image courtesy U.S. Department of Energy

Image courtesy U.S. Department of Energy

 

You can learn more about the new American Museum of Science and Energy this evening (Thursday, June 14).

The “Informational Night” will be hosted from 5 to 6 p.m. Thursday at Oak Ridge High School by the U.S. Department of Energy in conjunction with its partners, the AMSE Foundation and the City of Oak Ridge, a press release said. The public is invited.

The session is intended to brief the local community about the progress made on the new AMSE facility and showcase the layout and design of the exhibits, the press release said. [Read more…]

USA Cycling selects Oak Ridge for individual time trial championships

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USA Cycling National Championships June 2018 Oak Ridge

USA Cycling has selected Oak Ridge for one of three national championships in East Tennessee this month.

The USA Cycling Professional Road, Individual Time Trial (ITT), and Criterium National Championships will be in Knoxville and Oak Ridge from June 21-24.

The ITT National Championships will be on Melton Lake Drive on June 21, kicking off the championships, a press release said.

The City of Oak Ridge is hosting the ITT National Championships in partnership with Visit Knoxville, the press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge recruiting members for four boards

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The City of Oak Ridge is recruiting members for four boards. The four boards are Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, Environmental Quality Advisory Board, Trade Licensing Board, and Traffic Safety Advisory Board.

Applications from Oak Ridge residents are being accepted in the Oak Ridge City Clerk’s Office. The submission deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, June 29.

Here is more information about the boards and the vacancies: [Read more…]

Oak Ridge will try to set world record in ‘knockout’ basketball

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Oak Ridge will try to set a Guinness World Record on Saturday in a basketball game known as “knockout.”

The attempt to break the previous world record is part of the Secret City Festival this weekend.

The Dallas Mavericks set the record for the largest game of basketball knockout with 701 participants in Dallas, Texas, on October 4, 2015. The game lasted 27 rounds and more than three hours, according to Guinness World Records. Team owner Mark Cuban was there before the record-setting attempt to check out the court and the turnout, and he also motivated the basketball shooters.

Organizers of this year’s Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge want to do better than Cuban and the Mavericks. They need at least 702 shooters to set the new world record.

“Come and participate on June 9 and help Oak Ridge shatter that record!” Secret City Festival organizers said. “Since the Manhattan Project during World War II, Oak Ridge has been known as a technology giant, but ‘knockout’ allows the city to highlight a rich athletic history as well.” [Read more…]

Some roads, including part of Turnpike, to be closed for Veterans Parade on Saturday

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Some roads, including part of Oak Ridge Turnpike, will be closed for a Veterans Parade on Saturday morning. The parade is part of the Secret City Festival celebration this week.

The road closures were announced by the City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Police Department.

The Veterans Parade route will run from the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) parking lot off of Badger Avenue to ORAU Way. Participants will then make a right turn onto Oak Ridge Turnpike and end in the Oak Ridge Public Library parking lot. [Read more…]

Vogel giving up Council seat in move to Idaho lab

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hans-vogel

Hans Vogel

Oak Ridge City Council member Hans Vogel will give up his seat at the end of June because he is moving to Idaho National Laboratory in July.

Vogel made the announcement at the City Council meeting on Monday.

Vogel said he will be director of strategic irradiation capability for the Advanced Test Reactor at INL, which is in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

“It is a career opportunity,” Vogel said Monday night. “This opportunity at Idaho National Laboratory was something I couldn’t turn down.”

Vogel will also resign from his seat on the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission. He was on the Planning Commission before he was elected to City Council in November 2016. He now serves as the City Council representative on Planning Commission. [Read more…]

Tennessee Avenue reconstruction project to start Tuesday

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A road reconstruction project affecting Tennessee Avenue is scheduled to begin today (Tuesday, May 29), city officials said.

Adams and Sons Inc., working under contract for the City of Oak Ridge, will reconstruct a section of Tennessee Avenue beginning 400 feet east of its intersection with New York Avenue down to its intersection with Michigan Avenue, a press release said.

The contractor’s notice to proceed became effective Monday, May 21, and onsite activity was expected to begin after that, with construction signs placed earlier.

“The Public Works Department will use this project as an opportunity to replace the existing 1940s-era water main along Tennessee Avenue, in addition to making curb, gutter, and sidewalk repairs,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Registration for Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit extended through today

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Registration for the Tennessee Valley Corridor National Summit in Oak Ridge this month has been extended through today (Friday, May 18).

The TVC Summit is scheduled from Tuesday, May 29, to Thursday, May 31, at the New Hope Center at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

Organizers said the Summit will include five main sessions focused on clean energy, cyber and national security, advanced manufacturing, and education. The Summit will also celebrate the 75th anniversary of the City of Oak Ridge, the 85th anniversary of Tennessee Valley Authority, and 50th anniversary of NASA’s Apollo 8 Mission.

There will be more than 50 speakers, panelists, and presenters, ranging from university and community college presidents to entrepreneurs to top leaders of the region’s federal contractors. More than 400 community, academic, and government leaders from the five-state region are expected to participate, organizers said. [Read more…]

Updated: Council authorizes final design for Preschool, Senior Center

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Oak Ridge Pre-K School (Image by Studio Four Design via City of Oak Ridge)

Oak Ridge Pre-K School at Scarboro Park (Image by Studio Four Design via City of Oak Ridge)

 

Note: This story was updated at 9:45 a.m. May 15.

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday authorized the final designs of the Senior Center and the Preschool and Scarboro Park Renovation. The two projects together could total about $13 million. The Senior Center and Preschool have been on the city’s wish list for a decade or two—or even longer.

Resolutions unanimously approved by City Council on Monday in 7-0 votes authorize Studio Four Design Inc. of Knoxville to proceed to the final construction design of the two projects. One project, the Preschool, would be at Scarboro Park, and the other, the Senior Center, would be at Alvin K. Bissell Park.

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson told City Council members in May 9 memos that Studio Four Design, led by Jacene Phillips, has achieved 50 percent design on the two projects and reviewed the proposed designs with city, school, and Senior Advisory Board officials and “achieved consensus on design requirements.”

The more expensive of the two projects, the Oak Ridge Preschool and Scarboro Park Renovation, has a current estimated cost of $9,792,674, or close to $10 million.

The Senior Center could cost about $3 million. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Graduation Celebration needs volunteers

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Every year, hundreds of Oak Ridge students enjoy the free Graduation Celebration at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, a safe, all-night party on graduation night. This year’s party is May 31. Those who donate $250 by May 1 will be listed on the annual T-shirt given to grads and volunteers. To donate, register a student or volunteer, visit www.GraduationCelebration.org.

Every year, hundreds of Oak Ridge students enjoy the free Graduation Celebration at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, a safe, all-night party on graduation night. This year’s party is May 31. Those who donate $250 by May 1 will be listed on the annual T-shirt given to grads and volunteers. To donate, register a student, or volunteer, visit www.GraduationCelebration.org.

 

Graduation Celebration, a free all-night party for high school graduates in Oak Ridge, will host its 21st annual event at the Oak Ridge Civic Center from 10 p.m. May 31 until 5 a.m. June 1.

About 85 percent of the graduating class attends each year, and close to 5,000 Oak Ridge students have enjoyed this tradition since 1997, a press release said. The Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board picks the theme each year, and this year it’s “Old Hollywood.” The Civic Center will be decorated in black, gold, and red, with plenty of glitter to go around, said event chairperson Debbie Magill.

“We are so glad to be able to offer this wonderful event to our graduates,” Magill said. “It shows our youth that the City of Oak Ridge cares about them and is proud of their accomplishments. We could not put on this event without the generous support of the Oak Ridge Parks and Recreation Department, the Youth Advisory Board (YAB), and the citizens and businesses of our city.”

All of the city’s high school graduates, including those from Oak Ridge High School, homeschool, or private schools are invited to the free event, the press release said. [Read more…]

Volunteers cleaning up historic Emery Road on Saturday

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Friends of the Historic Emery Road Cleanup April 28 2018

The Highland View Neighborhood Association and the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association have organized a cleanup of the historic Emery Road Rock Pillar Bridge Area near the Midtown Community Center (Wildcat Den) on Saturday.

The cleanup is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 28.

“We invite the public to help in cleaning up this parkland area,” an event notice said. “Bring gloves; other equipment will be provided by Keep Anderson County Beautiful. Snacks and water will be served to participants of the cleanup to sustain the effort.”

The rain day for this event will be May 5. [Read more…]

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