Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge Schools closing

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Oak Ridge Schools are closing at the end of the day today (Monday, March 16) after Tennessee Governor Bill Lee asked all school districts in the state to close as soon as possible.

Oak Ridge school buildings will be closed, and there will be no extracurricular activities or practices.

The governor expects all schools to stay closed through at least Tuesday, March 31. Oak Ridge Schools are currently on spring break, and they could extend the break using 10 snow/emergency days. That means students might not return to school until Wednesday, April 15, Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said in a recorded phone call to parents early Monday afternoon.

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Downtown Hardware closing in March

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Roger Clary and Ann Clary Bratton, co-owners of Downtown Hardware Company, pose with photos from the store’s 64-year history and hold a photo of Clary family members who have worked at the store over the years. Downtown Hardware is closing in March so the Clarys can retire. A store liquidation sale is going on beginning Jan. 10, 2020. (Submitted photo)

Downtown Hardware is closing in March, after more than 64 years of being in business in Oak Ridge.

Downtown Hardware was one of the first businesses to set up in the “Downtown Shopping Center” built in 1955 in what is now Main Street Oak Ridge.

“We were located on Wilson Street in the bottom floor of the building that now houses the American Museum of Science and Energy,” a press release said.

Today, Downtown Hardware is located at 298 South Illinois Avenue, facing Tuskegee Avenue in Oak Ridge.

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Kmart store closing in December

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The Kmart store on South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge will close in mid-December. The store is pictured above on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Kmart store in Oak Ridge will close in mid-December, the company said Monday.

“We have been strategically and aggressively evaluating our store space and productivity, and have accelerated the closing of unprofitable stores as previously announced,” the company said in a statement. “We can confirm that we are making the difficult but necessary decision to close the Kmart store at 370 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.”

The store will remain open to customers until the mid-December closing and start a liquidation sale on September 22.

“We often hear from our members who are disappointed when we close a store, but our Shop Your Way membership platform, websites, and mobile apps allow us to maintain these valued relationships long after a store closes its doors,” Kmart said in the statement. “As a result, we hope to retain a portion of the sales previously associated with this store by maintaining our relationships with the members who shopped this location.” [Read more…]

Main Street project won’t close Tuesday; closing could be in January

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Neil Wilson of RealtyLink at Rise and Shine on Nov. 3, 2015

Neil Wilson, left, principal of RealtyLink, gives an update on the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall at an Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Rise and Shine at TNBank on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 15.

The new company leading the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall won’t close on the property on Tuesday, and the closing could be pushed into January, officials said this month.

But it’s nothing to be concerned about, one official said Monday, adding that there are many pre-closing activities to accomplish in a short period of time, some in series.

“There have been no holdups, just a lot to do,” said Ray Evans, retail consultant for the City of Oak Ridge. “As an example, a subdivision plat has to be approved by the Planning Commission prior to closing. In order for the plat to be prepared, the property had to be re-surveyed. The new survey stakes are very apparent around the property. The plat was submitted yesterday (Monday). It will likely go before the Planning Commission at its meeting on January 7.”

Evans said RealtyLink has had geotechnical staff on site doing core borings during the past few weeks.

“In addition, they have been working on completing the environmental work,” he said.

Officials said RealtyLink and its contractor remain committed to having stores open for seven of the new tenants for the 2016 Christmas season. [Read more…]

Closings: City Hall, ORAU, Chamber, OSTI, DOE-ORO, Y-12; no trash pickup

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Note: This story was last updated at 11:39 a.m.

Here are more closings announced for Tuesday, as well as a few that were announced previously. Some previous announcements have been revised, mostly changing from a late opening to a closing.

The City of Oak Ridge offices will be closed today, Tuesday, February 17, due to icy roads. The Oak Ridge City Council work session scheduled for tonight has also be canceled and will be rescheduled for a later date.

Waste Connections will not be conducting trash pick up today and will be on a one-day delay.

The U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office (the Federal Building) and DOE’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information will be closed due to hazardous weather conditions. Employees with situational telework agreements in place are expected to telework. [Read more…]

Clinton Kmart closing

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Sears Holding Corp. has confirmed that the Kmart store in South Clinton will close sometime in mid-June, although a specific closure date has not been announced.

The decision was made after what company officials called an extended period of slow sales. The store will remain open to the public and plans to begin its liquidation sale on April 7.

The store had been in its current location since 1983.