The Clinton 5k race scheduled for Saturday morning in Clinton will raise money for a splash pad playground to be built in the City of Clinton.
The Clinton 5k and One-Mile Fun Run start at 9 a.m. Saturday, October 25, at Lakefront Park in Clinton.
Organizers said the 5k and one-mile race are walker-friendly. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday agreed to apply for a state grant that could be used to help build a roundabout at the five-way intersection of North Tulane and Pennsylvania avenues, Providence Road, and East Pasadena Lane. Though city officials don’t like the name, the five-way intersection is sometimes referred to as “Malfunction Junction.”
The city of Oak Ridge plans to apply for a state grant to design and build a roundabout near Oak Ridge High School at a five-way intersection sometimes referred to as “Malfunction Junction.”
The Oak Ridge City Council unanimously approved the grant application on Monday. If approved, the Tennessee Department of Transportation grant would be used to build a roundabout at the intersection of Providence Road, Pennsylvania Avenue, East Pasadena Lane, and North Tulane Avenue.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $748,113. Tthe grant funding would come from the Transportation Alternative Program. TDOT funds 80 percent of those projects, excluding design, and a 20 percent local match is required.
The city’s cost would be about $150,000, and the city would pay for the design, officials said Monday. [Read more…]
Bill Haslam
State officials announce 80 Community Development Block Grants
Oliver Springs received a $525,000 grant for sewer system improvements, and Rocky Top (formerly Lake City) received a $360,840 grant for water system improvements, Tennessee officials announced last week.
Oliver Springs and Rocky Top were among the Tennessee communities that will receive funding after Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty approved more than $28 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) to help with infrastructure, health and safety projects, and downtown improvements, a press release said.
The Oliver Springs grant will be matched with $225,000 in local funding (for $750,000 in total funding), and the Rocky Top grant will be matched with $27,160 in local funding for a total of $388,000. [Read more…]
Tim Sittema
Council, IDB approve TIF extension, grant, roadway work
The proposed redevelopment of the Oak Ridge mall cleared a critical hurdle on Monday when city officials agreed to extend a property tax agreement for the 59-acre project, authorize $2 million in roadway and other infrastructure work, and offer a $500,000 grant if some federal funding is not approved.
Officials described the proposed redevelopment, named Main Street Oak Ridge, as an $80 million project that could fill a “hole in the heart†of Oak Ridge, bring new retail life to the city’s downtown, and build a lasting legacy.
Monday’s moves were meant to reduce the risk for four local lenders that could combine to offer $13 million in loans to part of the redevelopment under a tax increment financing, or TIF, agreement. That incentive would use new property tax revenues generated at the mall site and 120 surrounding acres included in the TIF area to repay those loans. Officials said the loans could be repaid in 18 years, according to financial models.
David Bradshaw
But in two separate special meetings on Monday, the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board and Oak Ridge City Council agreed to extend the TIF term from 20 years to 30. That extra 10 years is meant to act as a “shock absorber†and help make sure that the banks are repaid if there is a “glitch†in the project that would push the repayment past the previously approved 20-year term, officials said.
“This is not a ‘home run’ project for us as financial institutions,†said David R. Bradshaw, Oak Ridge president of CapitalMark Bank and Trust, one of the financial institutions that could participate. But, he added, “It is the right thing to do for the community.†[Read more…]
The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded $137,108 to the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge this month.
The museum will use the grant funds to develop its new Kids in Action! Healthy Living Exhibit and programs. Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will plan, develop, and construct “Kids in Action,†a healthy living exhibit and accompanying educational programs to support healthy nutrition, healthy activity, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, and community wellness, a press release said. [Read more…]
Workers began demolishing the International Friendship Bell structure during the last week of July. (Photo by Bill Moore Jr.)
The Oak Ridge City Council will consider applying for a $100,000 grant application to help rebuild the Friendship Bell House in Alvin K. Bissell Park, and members will also consider a preliminary plan and re-zonings that would allow a retail development on 2.29 acres along South Illinois Avenue between Aldi grocery and Weigel’s gas station and convenience store.
If Council approves, the city would apply for a Friendship Bell grant from the Japan World Exposition 1970 Commemorative Fund, which supports projects that “contribute to international cultural exchange and international goodwill.” The city is requesting $100,000 to match $50,000 from the Oak Ridge Capital Projects Fund and $50,000 from private and community contributions and donations. The grant application outlines a 50/50 match requirement if the request is approved.
A February inspection determined that the 65-70 percent of the wooden support beams in the bell house were compromised and showed substantial deterioration, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department Director Josh Collins said in a memo to City Manager Mark S. Watson. [Read more…]
Volkswagen will expand its automotive plant in Chattanooga, the company’s only U.S. manufacturing facility, and build a new midsize SUV for the American market.
Volkswagen’s total global investment for the expansion will be $900 million, and $600 million of that will be invested in Tennessee. The company expects to create 2,000 jobs in Hamilton County.
The announcement was made by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Volkswagen Group of America officials in a Monday morning press release. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
A new three-story apartment complex for very low-income seniors over the age of 62 is currently being constructed in Oak Ridge and could be open for occupancy by next spring.
Dogwood Manor Apartments is being built behind Linda Brown Realty on Oak Ridge Turnpike and is funded by a federal Housing and Urban Development grant worth $3.1 million. The new facility will feature 23 one-bedroom apartments and a two-bedroom apartment for the on-site manager. The apartments are all designed to be handicap-accessible and one unit will be designed for use by someone with vision or hearing impairments.
Residents would pay 30 percent of their income for rent and utilities in the subsidized housing complex. The work is being performed by J&S Construction of Cookeville.
Roane State Community College has received a grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to offer more classes that help adults earn their high school equivalency diplomas. Pictured above is the college’s main campus in Harriman. (Photo courtesy RSCC)
Roane State Community College received a grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to offer more classes that help adults earn their high school equivalency diplomas.
The $8,000 grant will be used to assist with the cost of instructors, supplies, and instructional materials.
“We very much appreciate the support of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation,†said Melissa Browder, Roane County Adult Education supervisor. “Their contribution allows us to offer adults a path to a high school diploma, an accomplishment which can lead to better career opportunities and open the door for adults to continue their education.†[Read more…]
Applications are now available for about $17,000 worth of literacy grants awarded by Altrusa International of Oak Ridge and the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club.
The grants are used to help improve literacy in Oak Ridge and Anderson and Roane counties, and they will be awarded to selected recipients. Applications and award criteria may be found on the Altrusa International website or Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club website. Hard copies are also available at the Oak Ridge Public Library.
Applications must be submitted by Nov. 1.
A $242,256 state grant announced Thursday will be used for sidewalks, crosswalks, signs, and pavement markings in the school zone near Andersonville Elementary School, Tennessee officials announced Thursday. It will also fund educational programs and activities that encourage walking and biking as a practical and healthy initiative.
The Anderson County grant was part of $2.1 million in grants awarded to 15 municipalities across Tennessee and announced Thursday under the Safe Routes to School program. That nationwide initiative is designed to make bicycling and walking to school safer, more appealing, and healthier for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. [Read more…]
Gov. Bill Haslam, fourth from left, joins local residents re-creating a famous “War Ends” photograph in Jackson Square, but this time with an $800,000 state check for parking lots, sidewalks, benches, and bicycle racks. (File photo June 2012)
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam visited Oak Ridge about one year ago to announce that a state grant valued at roughly $800,000 had been awarded to the city to help revitalize Jackson Square, focusing on parking, lighting, landscaping, and benches.
Next month, Oak Ridge officials will have an open house to present three conceptual drawings for the project, which is in the city’s original town center. The public meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 7, at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation Enhancement Grant awarded last year is to be used for the project’s first phase, which includes renovating the Jackson Square parking lot by adding handicapped parking and access, pedestrian lighting and circulation, landscaping and event enhancements, and bicycle racks and benches, a city press release said. [Read more…]
