Oak Ridge Today

CUB, TVA partner to donate $20,000 to ADFAC

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Clinton Utilities Board has partnered with the Tennessee Valley Authority to award $20,000 to ADFAC to help the local community during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, a press release said.

“In this time of crisis, CUB is proud to partner with TVA to help our neighbors in need,” said Greg Fay, CUB general manager. “ADFAC will use this donation to assist people struggling to pay their utility bills.”

“On behalf of ADFAC, we are very grateful for the partnership we enjoy with CUB and TVA” said Joey Collins, program director for ADFAC’s Household Assistance Program. “We expect these funds to be a significant help to the struggling families of Anderson County as it will assist us in providing them with stability in these uncertain times.” [Read more…]

Injured CUB lineman recovering after electrical shock

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Clinton Utilities Board Logo

Information from WYSH Radio

A Clinton Utilities Board lineman was recovering in the hospital on Wednesday, one day after being injured while on the job in Clinton on Tuesday.

Shortly before noon Tuesday, a CUB employee identified by his daughter as Mike Bavousett was part of a crew working to replace old conductors with newer ones as part of an upgrade project. The crew was in the process of splicing a piece of wire into the conductor to get the wire down to the pulling equipment on the ground when the conductor came loose from the splice and slipped up into an energized conductor overhead where Bavousset was working. Officials are still working to identify exactly what went wrong. No one else was injured in the incident. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge: 4,000 lose power, 70 homes damaged

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Wadsworth Circle Home Tree

One of two trees that fell on a home on West Wadsworth Circle. The second tree, visible on the ground in the background, punched a hole in the roof and displaced a mother, grandmother, and two children.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 2:40 p.m.

Roughly 4,000 customers lost power in the Tuesday evening storm, and about 70 damaged homes will require repairs by an electrician before power can be restored, an Oak Ridge official said Wednesday morning.

Oak Ridge Electric Director Jack Suggs said he doesn’t recall ever having 70 homes damaged in one storm, although the Electric Department has experienced worse storms when many utility poles were broken. But the brief, fierce Tuesday storm, which brought severe winds and driving rain, was significant in terms of its damage to homes and its far-reaching nature, from Blair Road on the west end of town to east Oak Ridge and beyond—into Clinton and Anderson County, Suggs said.

“It was pretty widespread,” Suggs said.

Janet Bowker on Plymouth Circle and Storm Debris

Janet Bowker, left, walks through debris on Plymouth Circle in front of her home, where a tree fell into her bedroom during the Tuesday evening storm. Her home is at right but not visible in this picture. There were no injuries, but Bowker does not have power now.

 

The storm, which ripped through Oak Ridge at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, left a trail of debris: scattered branches and limbs, broken trees, fallen power lines, and damaged buildings and homes. It also triggered a flood of calls to the city’s 911 call dispatch center.

About 500 customers remained without power around noon Wednesday, including the 70 damaged homes. [Read more…]

Utility scam warning for businesses

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WYSH Radio in Clinton had a scam warning on Monday for businesses who are also customers of Clinton Utilities Board.

Earlier this month, a CUB official notified the Clinton Police Department that three businesses had contacted the utility reporting that they had received phone calls from two different numbers in which the caller told them that they were with the “CUB Disconnect Office” and that they were behind on their bills. In each case, the caller told the business that their service would be disconnected if payment was not made immediately and then provided instructions on how to wire the money through a money service from Walmart or Kmart. [Read more…]

CUB receives $200,000 Clean Tennessee Energy Grant

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Gov. Bill Haslam Check Presentation

Gov. Bill Haslam announced in June that Oak Ridge had received $200,000 in Clean Tennessee Energy Grant funding for lighting at the Municipal Building and Civic Center.

The Clinton Utilities Board has received a $200,000 Clean Tennessee Energy Grant to renovate its wastewater treatment plant.

CUB was one of 19 recipients receiving $2.1 million for projects promoting energy efficiency, benefiting the environment, and helping save money, Tennessee officials said this month.

In a check presentation ceremony in June, Gov. Bill Haslam came to Oak Ridge to announce that the Secret City had received the first of the 19 awards. [Read more…]