Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge receives Blankenship Field grant, primarily for synthetic turf

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Blankenship Field Overall Plan

An overall view of the proposed renovation of Blankenship Field and Jack Armstrong Stadium. (File image from April 2015)

 

Oak Ridge has received a state grant of just under $500,000 that will be used primarily for synthetic turf at Blankenship Field. But it is also expected to help pay for track improvements, upgraded restrooms, fencing between the football field and track, and improvements to the Cedar Hill trailhead behind the visitors bleachers at Jack Armstrong Stadium, city officials said Thursday.

The Local Parks and Recreation Fund grant requires a 50 percent match. The match is supposed to be provided by the nonprofit Blankenship Field Revitalization Foundation, and it can be a mix of cash and in-kind contributions, although the precise percentage of each—cash versus in-kind contributions—isn’t clear yet. The foundation has been chaired by Tennessee Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the Senate Randy McNally.

Officials expect to know more after four of them—City Manager Mark Watson, City Council member Rick Chinn, Recreation and Parks Director Jon Hetrick, and Allen Thacker of Oak Ridge Schools—attend mandatory grant training in Nashville in February.

After that, the Oak Ridge City Council could accept the grant, possibly as early as the February 13 meeting. [Read more…]

Q&A: Top 10 most frequently asked questions about City Blueprint

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The City of Oak Ridge has posted the top 10 most frequently asked questions about the City Blueprint, which will be the subject of an open house kick-off meeting on Thursday.

Question One

Q: When and where is the City Blueprint Kick-Off Meeting being held?

A: Thursday, January 26, at High Places Church in Grove Center (123 Randolph Road) from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. [Read more…]

Civic Center indoor pool re-opens after equipment repair

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Indoor pool at Civic Center

All programs are back on schedule after crews had to replace a piece of equipment that controls the temperature of the water in the Oak Ridge Civic Center’s indoor pool. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

All programs are back on schedule after crews had to replace a piece of equipment that controls the temperature of the water in the Oak Ridge Civic Center’s indoor pool.

The pool was forced to close on Wednesday, January 4, but it re-opened at noon on Saturday, January 14, once crews were able to make the needed repairs. The new pool heater is more energy-efficient than the previous model, a press release said. The water was back up to its normal temperature of 83 degrees shortly after re-opening.

Here’s a list of some of the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department programs currently under way at the indoor pool facility: [Read more…]

Adults identified in crash that killed 3-year-old; cause not determined yet

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Oak Ridge Police Department officers started a memorial with stuffed animals on Saturday morning for a child killed in a fatal crash at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive on Friday evening, Jan. 13, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 4 p.m.

The Oak Ridge Police Department has identified the adults injured in a fatal two-vehicle crash on Friday evening, although the cause hasn’t been determined yet.

The crash killed a three-year-old boy. It was reported at about 5:20 p.m. Friday at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive in central Oak Ridge. It involved a total of 11 people, including three juveniles.

Besides the three-year-old who died, five other people who were in an SUV that ended up near a stoplight pole on the northeast corner of the intersection were injured and taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. The five injured included four adults and one child. One of the adults was released from the hospital over the weekend, the City of Oak Ridge said.

The names of the juveniles involved in the crash are not being released, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. The occupants of the SUV were: [Read more…]

Portion of Tuskegee Drive to close for repairs Wednesday

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The Oak Ridge Public Works Department will be performing road repairs on the gravel section of Tuskegee Drive beginning Wednesday, January 18, and lasting until Wednesday, January 25.

The work will require sections of the road to be closed on weekdays between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., weather permitting. Provisions will be made for residents to access their properties. There will be no through traffic during the closure. [Read more…]

Fatal crash: One adult released from hospital; police officers start memorial with stuffed animals

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Oak Ridge Police Department officers started a memorial with stuffed animals on Saturday morning for a three-year-old child killed in a fatal crash at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive on Friday evening, Jan. 13, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

One adult passenger injured in a fatal two-vehicle crash in Oak Ridge on Friday has been released from the hospital, a city official said Saturday. And Oak Ridge Police Department officers started a memorial at the crash site, leaving stuffed animals there Saturday morning.

The fatal crash was reported at about 5:15 p.m. Friday at the intersection of Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive. Police said the crash killed one three-year-old child and injured another child, and it also injured four adults. The five people who were injured and the child who died were all taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, a Level I trauma center. All six had been in the same vehicle, an older model dark-colored or black sport utility vehicle.

On Saturday, Sarah Self, spokesperson for the City of Oak Ridge, said one of the adult passengers was released from UT Medical Center.

The condition of the other injured patients (three adults and one child) was not available, Self said.

Five people in the second vehicle involved in the crash, a newer silver Volkswagen sedan, were not injured, Self said. There were four adults and one child in that car. [Read more…]

Child dies, five injured in crash

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A three-year-old died and five other people were taken to a trauma center in Knoxville after a two-vehicle crash in Oak Ridge at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive on Friday evening, Jan. 13, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1 p.m. Jan 16.

A three-year-old died and five other people were taken to a trauma center in Knoxville after a serious crash in Oak Ridge on Friday evening, authorities said.

The fatal two-vehicle crash involved 11 people. It was reported at about 5:15 p.m. Friday at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive.

Those taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, a Level 1 Trauma Center, were four adults and two children. One of those children is the three-year-old who died (the child was initially reported to be four). The four adults and two children were all in one vehicle, an older model dark-colored or black sport utility vehicle, or SUV.

Five people in a second vehicle—four adults and one child—were reported to not have injuries, according to the City of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge seeks community input for new ‘city blueprint’

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With your help, Oak Ridge officials want to develop a long-range development plan, or “city blueprint.”

There will be a kickoff meeting for the project on Thursday, January 26, at High Places Community Church in Grove Center.

“The last year has been an exciting period in Oak Ridge,” a press release said. “New commercial buildings are being constructed in the city center, improvements in our parks and trails are on the horizon, and the National Historic Park is beginning to take shape. The Oak Ridge Planning Commission—with input from other boards, commissions, and city leaders—has decided that it is time to begin crafting an updated long-range development plan, or ‘City Blueprint,’ which would provide guidance in future growth and decisions. During the creation of this guiding document, it will be vital to receive input on its focus and content from the people of Oak Ridge.” [Read more…]

Police capture suspect quickly after armed robbery at restaurant

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An armed robbery suspect is in custody after holding employees of a Grove Center business at gunpoint and leading Oak Ridge police on a brief foot pursuit Tuesday evening, a press release said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department got a call at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, January 10, that an armed robbery had just occurred at the Hibachi Burger restaurant at 138 Randolph Road in Grove Center.

The person calling 911 said a man armed with a pistol and a bandana covering his face had demanded money from the business. The caller said the suspect took an undetermined amount of cash and then ran out of the restaurant. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Senior Center moving to Civic Center this month

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Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

 

The Oak Ridge Senior Center will move to the Oak Ridge Civic Center this month, officials said Thursday.

The Senior Center will be open at its current site on Emory Valley Road through Saturday, January 21, the City of Oak Ridge said in a Thursday press release.

The Senior Center will move to the Civic Center Recreation Building during the week of January 23 to January 28, and it will be closed to the public. [Read more…]

Fast-moving weather system could bring snow to East Tennessee

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Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

A fast moving clipper will push across the southern Appalachian region late this afternoon through Friday morning. Rain showers will change to snow across Southwest Virginia this evening and snow showers will continue to spread across the area overnight. Snowfall accumulations will be greatest along the Northern Plateau of East Tennessee and the Cumberland mountains of Southwest Virginia where 1 to 3 inches are possible. Elsewhere, up to 1 inch of snow is expected across valley locations, before tapering off around sunrise Friday morning. With surface temperatures below freezing, snow will accumulate on untreated roads. This may result in in negative travel impacts to motorists, especially during the Friday morning commute. (Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown)

 

Note: This story was updated at 11 a.m.

A fast-moving weather system could bring snow to East Tennessee as it pushes across the southern Appalachian region late Thursday afternoon through Friday morning, forecasters said.

Rain showers will change to snow across Southwest Virginia on Thursday evening, and snow showers will continue to spread across the area overnight, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown. Snowfall accumulations will be greatest along the Northern Plateau of East Tennessee and the Cumberland mountains of Southwest Virginia, where one to three inches are possible.

Elsewhere, up to one inch of snow is expected across valley locations, before tapering off around sunrise Friday morning. [Read more…]

Crews working to restore power on west end

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A fallen tree or trees knocked down power lines along Louisiana Avenue on Tuesday night, Jan. 3, 2017, and crews were working to restore power in west Oak Ridge on the north side of Oak Ridge Turnpike, including the area around Louisiana Avenue and Robertsville Road. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 12:50 a.m.

Crews were working to restore power on the west end of Oak Ridge on Tuesday night, including in the area around Louisiana Avenue and Robertsville Road.

A fallen tree or trees knocked down power lines along Louisiana Avenue north of Robertsville Road, and crews were working to restore power on the north side of Oak Ridge Turnpike. [Read more…]