Oak Ridge Today

Public Works director: Shifting soils can cause water line breaks

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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, left. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Soils can shift during extended periods of cold weather, which can cause water lines to break, Oak Ridge Public Works Director Shira McWaters said Tuesday.

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

“It is not unusual for water systems (nationwide) to experience above-average breaks during extended cold weather periods when the ground starts to freeze and the subsequent thawing when warm weather returns,” McWaters said when asked about the water line breaks on Tuesday. “This is due to the shifting of soils that can cause the breaks.”

In Oak Ridge, the age of the municipal water system is a factor in the frequency of the breaks because many of the lines are older and reaching the end of their useful life, McWaters said. [Read more…]

AMSE could move into new location in June

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An artist's rendering of the entrance at the new American Museum of Science and Energy at Main Street Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/U.S. Department of Energy)

An artist’s rendering of the entrance to the new American Museum of Science and Energy at Main Street Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/U.S. Department of Energy)

 

The American Museum of Science and Energy could move into its new location at Main Street Oak Ridge in June, officials said Tuesday.

Crews began work on Friday and “increased activity can be expected in the area over the coming weeks as construction progresses,” a press release said.

RealtyLink, the South Carolina company developing Main Street Oak Ridge, selected Oak Ridge-based Summit Construction as the contractor for the project, the press release said.

The start of construction was announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office and the City of Oak Ridge.

The new space for AMSE is located between the current JCPenney store and a future Marriott hotel, which is also under construction. The museum entrance will be on Main Street East. AMSE will be all on one floor, occupying approximately 18,000 square feet. [Read more…]

Construction starts at new AMSE location

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Construction work has started at the new American Museum of Science and Energy at Main Street Oak Ridge. Interior demolition work is under way, and exterior demolition work could start Wednesday. A crew was working at the new AMSE location on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Construction work has started at the new American Museum of Science and Energy at Main Street Oak Ridge. Interior demolition work is under way, and exterior demolition work could start Wednesday. A crew was working at the new AMSE location on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Construction work has started at the new American Museum of Science and Energy at Main Street Oak Ridge. Interior demolition work is under way, and exterior demolition work could start Wednesday.

The value of the improvements is estimated at roughly $1.5 million. A building permit was issued December 29.

AMSE will be relocated from its current home on South Tulane Avenue, where it’s been since the mid-1970s, to about 18,000 square feet of renovated space at Main Street Oak Ridge. That’s the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall. The move is part of an agreement that was signed by the City of Oak Ridge and U.S. Department of Energy in December 2016.

AMSE will have about 15,000 square feet of space in the former Sears Roebuck store near JCPenney and roughly 2,700 square feet in the former Cole’s Drug Store. Inside, there will be about 7,200 square feet of exhibit space, two 800-square-foot classrooms, and a large theater with a stage, consultant Ray Evans told Oak Ridge City Council members during a December 19 work session.

Evans said construction could take 4.5 to five months. An opening date had not been set as of the December work session. [Read more…]

Roads icy: Oak Ridge Schools, Roane State closed today

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A tractor-trailer jack-knifed on Interstate 40 West at mile marker 349 in Roane County. That roadway is closed, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said. I-40 East at MM 349 has one lane open. Roads are very icy in this area, TDOT said Monday morning, Jan. 8, 2018. The Oak Ridge/Gallaher Road exit is Exit 356. (Photo courtesy TDOT)

A tractor-trailer jack-knifed on Interstate 40 West at mile marker 349 in Roane County. That roadway is closed, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said. I-40 East at MM 349 has one lane open. Roads are very icy in this area, TDOT said Monday morning, Jan. 8, 2018. The Oak Ridge/Gallaher Road exit is Exit 356. (Photo courtesy TDOT)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10 a.m.

Oak Ridge Schools are closed today as a layer of ice coated the ground in Oak Ridge, making roads and sidewalks slippery.

The schools had originally planned to open two hours late.

Other local school systems are also closed today (Monday, January 8) as the forecast had called for freezing rain or a wintry mix of precipitation around school arrival time this morning. Among the other school systems closed are Anderson County, Clinton, and Roane County. Roane State Community College is closed today as well (see here for more information). [Read more…]

City workers repair broken water lines Saturday

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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, left. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

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

The Oak Ridge Public Works Department continued to repair broken water lines on Saturday as cold winter weather caused ground to shift, breaking some pipes.

One crew was repairing a six-inch water line underneath Northwestern Avenue near Nevada Circle at about lunchtime Saturday, and there was another busted line reported on East Tennessee Avenue just east of Georgia Avenue.

Saturday night, city workers repaired another broken water line underneath Northwestern Avenue, this time near Nasson Lane and Princeton Avenue, and two more water line breaks were reported on Emerson Circle and Kentucky Avenue.

A crew was out past 1 a.m. Sunday finishing repairs on that second water line break under Northwestern Avenue, the one near Nasson Lane, as temperatures dropped again overnight. [Read more…]

City reports 20 water line breaks in four days

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A break in a 10-inch water line was reported about 10 feet under Tyler Road at about noon Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. A second crew was expected to provide relief to the first crew at about 10 p.m. Friday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A break in a 10-inch water line was reported about 10 feet under Tyler Road at about noon Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. A second crew was expected to provide relief to the first crew making repairs at about 10 p.m. Friday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 1 a.m.

The City of Oak Ridge reported about 20 water main breaks in four days of below-freezing temperatures, and crews were working to repair one 10-inch water line about 10 feet below Tyler Road near Oak Ridge Turnpike on Friday night.

The City of Oak Ridge said the Oak Ridge Public Works Department has been working around the clock in cold temperatures to repair broken water mains and restore service.

The water line break under Tyler Road was reported at about noon Friday. City workers turned off nine valves between that break and Central Avenue and Tennessee Avenue, but water continued to flow. Workers weren’t able to completely close one valve after it broke, and they were waiting for a second crew to relieve them at about 10 p.m. Friday. In the meantime, a short section of Tyler Road remained closed at Oak Ridge Turnpike, and it wasn’t clear how long it would take to repair the water line. [Read more…]

City Blueprint project reaches midpoint

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The Oak Ridge Community Development Department is continuing the Oak Ridge City Blueprint effort in 2018 with community meetings planned through the month of March. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Community Development Department is continuing the Oak Ridge City Blueprint effort in 2018 with community meetings planned through the month of March. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Community Development Department is continuing the Oak Ridge City Blueprint effort in 2018 with community meetings planned through the month of March.

The first open house of the new year is scheduled for Thursday, January 25, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. at Scarboro Community Center. The discussion will focus on the Tuskegee and West Side Residential subareas as well as a subarea south of Oak Ridge Turnpike that includes Hermitage Boulevard and Wiltshire Drive.

In a press release, the City of Oak Ridge said the blueprint is being coordinated by the Community Development Department, under the guidance of the Oak Ridge Planning Commission, as well as other boards, commissions, and city leaders. The department recently finished a midpoint report on the Blueprint, highlighting significant findings and outlining a plan for moving forward. The report is now available online along with a public survey. [Read more…]

Road closures planned on Hillside Road for sewer line work

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Road closures are scheduled to start Monday on Hillside Road for sewer line work.

Parts of Hillside Road will be closed intermittently throughout the day on Monday, January 8, to allow crews to replace a sewer line located near Henley Road, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. Local traffic will be allowed to drive to homes on Henley Road.

A full closure of Hillside Road will begin on Tuesday, January 9, to renew service connections to several homes in the area, the press release said. These connections are located under the driving surface of the roadway. Local traffic to the affected residences will be accommodated, the press release said. [Read more…]

Christmas tree recycling available in Oak Ridge

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Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge

Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge

The City of Oak Ridge has two drop-off locations available for residents to recycle their Christmas trees after the holidays, and employees will help with drop-offs on two Saturdays in January.

Signs are already posted in both locations. The drop-offs are:

  • Big Turtle Park, 2525 Oak Ridge Turnpike (parking lot)
  • Solway Park, 205 Edgemoor Road (parking lot adjacent to the boat launch)

Trees will be accepted any time through January 28, 2018. On Saturday, January 13, and Saturday, January 20, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department employees will be on site to help with unloading trees at the Big Turtle Park drop-off location from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., a press release said. [Read more…]

City provides information on what power poles on Pine Ridge could look like

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H-frame or H tower transmission towers are pictured at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex off Scarboro Road on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

H-frame or H tower transmission towers are pictured at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex off Scarboro Road on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 1 p.m.

The City of Oak Ridge this week provided information on what the power poles on Pine Ridge could look like.

The logging work to install the power line poles, or transmission towers, on top of Pine Ridge has been temporarily delayed for 45 days after Oak Ridge City Council members raised concerns in November and December.

One of the concerns for City Council members has been the potential visual impact the power poles could have on top of Pine Ridge. That prominent ridge in south Oak Ridge separates Y-12 from the center of the city.

So far, the National Nuclear Security Administration and its Uranium Processing Facility Project Office haven’t provided a visual representation of what the transmission towers could look like on top of the ridge.

On Tuesday, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson and Electric Director Jack Suggs provided some visual comparisons to City Council members during a non-voting work session. Watson said a light pole at the city baseball field is about 80 feet. That’s close to the same size as the roughly 79-foot-high power poles expected on Pine Ridge. [Read more…]

Water line leak detection survey under way in Oak Ridge

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Photo by City of Oak Ridge

Photo by City of Oak Ridge

 

Wachs Water Services, working under contract for the City of Oak Ridge, is conducting a leak detection survey on water lines throughout the city, a press release said.

During the survey, Wachs Water crews will be listening to underground water lines in an effort to detect leaks and areas for potential water main breaks, the press release said. The results of the survey will assist the Oak Ridge Public Works Department in identifying areas of concern within the water system. [Read more…]

Senior Center offers free guitar lessons

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Guitar Intermediate Class

Free guitar lessons for senior citizens will begin with an orientation class on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018, at 10 a.m., at the Oak Ridge Senior Center, which is at the Oak Ridge Civic Center at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike. This is a picture of a previous intermediate guitar class. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

Free guitar lessons for senior citizens will begin with an orientation class on Friday, January 5, 2018, at 10 a.m., at the Oak Ridge Senior Center.

Regular classes will begin on Friday, January 19, 2018, and are open to area seniors age 50 and older. All levels of guitar players are welcome, a press release said.

Beginner’s lessons start at 9 a.m. with intermediate lessons to follow. Bass guitar lessons are also included. Wendall Cook, who has many years of experience playing and teaching, will conduct the lessons, the press release said. [Read more…]