Clark Center Park Archives - Oak Ridge Today

No crime suspected in case of man found dead at park

Posted at 11:01 pm May 2, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A crime is not suspected in the case of a man found dead at Clark Center Park in south Oak Ridge on Tuesday, authorities said.

While patrolling the park on Tuesday afternoon, an Oak Ridge Police Department officer found a man sitting motionless in the driver’s seat of a sport utility vehicle, the ORPD said Wednesday. The SUV was parked along the road leading to the main portion of the park.

The officer stopped to investigate and saw the man slumped behind the wheel with an apparent gunshot wound to the head, the ORPD said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was taken to the Knox County Regional Forensics Center. [Read more…]

ORFD swimmers rescue stranded canoeist

Posted at 3:12 pm April 13, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Two Oak Ridge Fire Department swimmers rescued a man who had fallen out of a canoe near Clark Center Park in south Oak Ridge on Thursday afternoon, April 12, 2018, authorities said. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Fire Department)

Two Oak Ridge Fire Department swimmers rescued a man who had fallen out of a canoe near Clark Center Park in south Oak Ridge on Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

The man, who was not identified, cannot swim, but he was wearing a life jacket, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release Friday. He was hanging onto a fence post in the water after falling out of his canoe, but he was cold and could not get himself back into the overturned canoe or to the shore, the press release said.

The Oak Ridge 911 dispatch center had received a call that a canoe had overturned in the cove at the entrance to Clark Center Park at about 3:35 p.m. Thursday.

Oak Ridge Fire Department Captain Jason Benjamin has been training a crew of firefighters to become rescue swimmers during the past 24 months, and their training was put to the test on Thursday, the press release said. [Read more…]

Photos: History talk at Freels Bend Cabin, city’s oldest structure

Posted at 1:51 am October 17, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

freels-bend-cabin-presentation-6-oct-13-2016-smith

Aaron Astor, an associate history professor at Maryville College, discussed life along the Clinch River in Anderson and Roane counties before Oak Ridge was built in a special meeting at the historic Freels Bend Cabin on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016 during a meeting of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. The Freels Bend Cabin was built in 1844, and it is the oldest structure in Oak Ridge. It’s on the National Historic Register. (Photo by D. Ray Smith)

It was the monthly public and membership meeting of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. Here are pictures by D. Ray Smith.

The Freels Bend Cabin was built in 1844, and it is the oldest structure in Oak Ridge. It’s on the National Historic Register. [Read more…]

Fire Department rescues four stranded at night on boat in Clinch River

Posted at 6:16 pm August 11, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Fire Department rescued four people stranded on a boat Wednesday night on the Clinch River, authorities said.

There was an initial call of someone possibly missing Wednesday night, and the Oak Ridge Police Department called the Oak Ridge Fire Department to help locate the stranded occupants of the boat, authorities said.

The people in the boat were able to stay in touch with dispatchers using a cell phone. Someone in the boat had a flashlight, and they used it to help alert rescuers to their location. They told dispatchers they could see a bridge. Rescuers thought that must be either the Edgemoor Road or Solway bridge.

The boat’s occupants reported being in a cove near houses, said ORFD Firefighter and Engineer George Carroll. [Read more…]

TWRA looking for watercraft riders in hit-and-run crash that injures four on Melton Hill Lake

Posted at 3:59 pm July 1, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Personal Watercraft Operator Melton Hill Lake Crash June 30 2016

A photo of a personal watercraft and operator that witnesses described as striking a boat containing a family pulling a child on a tube on Melton Hill Lake on Thursday, June 30, 2016. (Photo courtesy TWRA)

Tennessee officials are investigating a hit-and-run boating crash on Thursday on Melton Hill Lake in the area of Clark Park and Knox County Park.

The crash was reported at about 7:45 p.m. Thursday. Among the agencies that responded were the Oak Ridge Fire Department, which went to Clark Center Park in south Oak Ridge.

According to witnesses, two personal watercrafts, or PWCs, were operating near the bluffs directly across from Knox County Park and going back and forth between the dock at the park and the bluffs where others were swimming, according to a press release from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Witnesses describe the operators as being reckless and inconsiderate, and as one of the PWCs left the bluff and headed toward the park, it collided with a boat in the area containing a family pulling a child on a tube. [Read more…]

DOE remains interested in transferring Clark Center Park to city

Posted at 12:31 pm June 21, 2016
By John Huotari 3 Comments

A view of Melton Hill Lake near a boat ramp and between two picnic areas at Clark Center Park in south Oak Ridge in July 2014. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The U.S. Department of Energy remains interested in transferring Clark Center Park to Oak Ridge, and the city continues to discuss that possibility with the federal government even though it could be a strain on municipal finances, officials said Tuesday.

The property could be transferred at no cost to the city. But one of the questions raised two years ago about the potential property transfer was whether Oak Ridge could afford to take over the 80-acre park.

That appears to remain a concern. It costs DOE about $300,000 per year to operate the park, which is in south Oak Ridge on Melton Hill Lake.

“Monetarily, it’s difficult for us right now,” Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said Tuesday.

In 2014, there were Oak Ridge City Council meetings and public meetings about the future of the park and the potential transfer to the city. [Read more…]

ORHS classes of 1974-1978 reunion in September

Posted at 1:00 am June 7, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge High School Class of 1976 is holding their 40th reunion during the weekend of September 23-25, 2016.

The class is inviting the classes of 1974 through 1978, those who attended school with class members but may have graduated elsewhere, and our teachers and staff to join the festivities which are scheduled as follows:

Friday, September 23, will be an informal gathering at Blankenship Field as the Oak Ridge Wildcats host Sevier County in the Homecoming game. The tailgate party will begin at 5 p.m. near the upper gate, and then they will follow the team onto the field for recognition prior to the game, which starts at 7 p.m. Admission to the game is $7 per person.
The dressy casual main event on Saturday, September 24, will be held at the new Calhoun’s (formerly Riverside Grille) at 100 Melton Lake Drive. A cash bar starts at 5 p.m. and hors d’oeuvres at 6 p.m. Come enjoy music, dancing, and reminiscing along the waterway in this beautiful venue until 11:30 p.m., a press release said. Admission for the main event is $43.86 through August 14 and obtained by registration at orhs76reunion.com.
A lunch picnic gathering takes place on Sunday, September 25, at Clark Center Park (known as Carbide Park in our day) at 12:30 p.m. Bring your own lunch and family for a final informal get-together of the weekend, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Today: Harlem Ambassadors for Habitat, former NASA chief astronomer, Smith on Three Bend

Posted at 11:28 am March 24, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 1 Comment

A reminder—There are three events happening this evening: the Harlem Ambassadors Basketball Show in a benefit for Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County, a former chief astronomer at NASA who is referred to as the “mother of the Hubble Telescope” discussing the evolution of the universe from the Big Bang to black holes, and local historian and writer Ray Smith discussing the Three Bend Scenic and Wildlife Management Refuge Area of the Oak Ridge Reservation.

The Harlem Ambassadors Basketball Show starts at 6 p.m. today (Thursday, March 24) at Wildcat Arena at Oak Ridge High School. This show is not only entertaining, organizers said, it also brings an important message to kids: “Stay off drugs, stay in school, don’t be a bully!”

Individuals have sponsored tickets so that student-athletes in Anderson County can come to the game for free.

The “opposing” team, the Habi-bats, is made up of local coaches and other local basketball standouts.

“We hope to fill the arena and sell lots of hotdogs, all in an effort to raise money to build and repair homes in Anderson County,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Clark Center Park, Bull Bluff Road tree removal work was postponed this week

Posted at 12:58 pm December 3, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

A plan to temporarily close Clark Center Park and Bull Bluff Road in Oak Ridge on Monday, Nov. 30, and on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015, for tree removal was postponed due to weather. (File photo)

A plan to temporarily close Clark Center Park and Bull Bluff Road in Oak Ridge on Monday, November 30, and on Tuesday, December 1, for tree removal was postponed due to weather, officials said.

The U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office had identified the trees as potential safety hazards for travelers and visitors on the road and throughout Clark Center Park.

But the tree removal was delayed by rain.

“The temporary closure for the tree removal work will resume once the weather clears in the near future, and the public will be advised at that time,” a press release said.

Tree removal to temporarily close Clark Center Park, Bull Bluff Road

Posted at 12:24 pm November 19, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

One of two large picnic areas at Clark Center Park. The park also includes a small playground, two ball fields, boat ramp, fishing trails, and beach. (File photo)

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office will temporarily close Clark Center Park and Bull Bluff Road in Oak Ridge from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. on both Monday, November 30, and again on Tuesday, December 1.

The temporary closure is due to tree removal that has been identified as potential safety hazards for travelers and visitors on the road and throughout Clark Center Park, which is in south Oak Ridge. Closure of the road during this work allow performance of the work in the most safe and efficient manner, a press release said.

The Oak Ridge Office roads and grounds contractor will allow any emergency vehicles access in the event of an emergency while the work is being performed. Normal opening of Bull Bluff Road and Clark Center Park will resume on December 2 at 5 a.m.

Planning for national park, Park Service tours Jackson Square, K-25, ORNL, Y-12

Posted at 10:58 am March 27, 2015
By John Huotari 5 Comments

Vic Knox (Photo by D. Ray Smith)

Note: This story was last updated at 12:37 p.m.

Planning for the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park has started, and federal officials this week toured Jackson Square, the former K-25 site, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Y-12 National Security Complex.

Stops included the Alexander Inn, Chapel on the Hill, the former K-25 Building site, the Graphite Reactor at ORNL, and two buildings at Y-12: Building 9731, a pilot plant, and Building 9204-3, also known as Beta 3.

“Several of those sites are just amazing,” said Vic Knox, associate director of park planning, facilities, and lands for the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. “They seem like they are just the way they were in 1943. It seems like they take you back in time.”

Oak Ridge was built as part of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s fist atomic weapons during World War II. Besides Oak Ridge, the new national park includes Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Hanford, Washington. [Read more…]

DOE re-opening Clark Center Park after cleanup

Posted at 10:44 pm March 12, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

A view of Melton Hill Lake near a boat ramp and between two picnic areas at Clark Center Park in south Oak Ridge.

Federal officials have finished significant cleanup work at Clark Center Park after the winter weather a few weeks ago, and they are re-opening the park.

John Shewairy, assistant manager for administration in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office, said workers have roped off one area of the 80-acre park where a large tree fell. They won’t be able to clear that area until the ground dries up. [Read more…]