Oak Ridge Today

Planning Commission to consider City Blueprint

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The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the Oak Ridge City Blueprint during a meeting this evening (Thursday, March 21).

The Blueprint is meant to be a citywide vision and guide for future growth and development in Oak Ridge. It identifies the important issues that affect the community, desired goals and outcomes, and action steps that can be prioritized by city leaders each year, based on resources, according to the City of Oak Ridge.

After being considered by Planning Commission, the Blueprint will be considered by the Oak Ridge City Council.

The Blueprint has been developed in a planning process that lasted more than two years and started in January 2017. [Read more…]

Community open houses on City Blueprint this week

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There is a community open house for the draft City Blueprint Plan at Oak Ridge High School this afternoon. The open house is scheduled from 3:45 to 5:30 p.m. today (Tuesday, February 5).

There is a second open house scheduled from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, February 7, at Grove Theater at 123 Randolph Road.

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission and the Oak Ridge Community Development Department are continuing to accept citizen feedback while finalizing the content of the City Blueprint Plan, a press release said. It’s meant to be a citywide vision and guide for future growth and development in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Opinion: A blueprint for growth, the choice is yours

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By Leonard Abbatiello

Nov. 19, 2015

In a previous article, I pointed out how Oak Ridge has changed. To summarize, we have changed drastically since the mid-1970s, becoming Tennessee average in median income, graduation rates, ethnic and age distributions. We are also heavily in debt, as we continue to spend beyond our means for all of our high quality services.

About 50 percent of our housing is over 70 years old and in various conditions located on lots that are often unsuitable for today’s desired off-street parking. Currently, over 12 percent of all homes are vacant, and those on the market are selling at 75 percent of their initial asking price. All aging residential housing is collectively dropping in both value and desirability. Our low-income population has increased to the point that they are the majority of our residents, and they cannot financially support our high-end services. Today, we are building only 10s of new homes annually, and a large percentage of the Manhattan Era housing remains vacant. Department of Energy radioactive and hazardous waste storage taints the community image as an attractive place to live.

We have evolved to this condition from a city that was given to us citizens debt free in the 1960s and rocketed to be the highest property taxed Tennessee city by 1973. Since then, it has endured a long list of both failed and evaporated DOE promised self-sufficiency projects. Today, DOE self-sufficiency efforts are no longer offered by DOE. Things even got worse following the 1985 fragmentation of all DOE single contractor federal operations, which then made effective local financial discussions impossible. [Read more…]

2014 Election: Interest in mayor position, mall redevelopment, better ties with BOE

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Oak Ridge City Council Candidate Forum

Nine of the 10 Oak Ridge City Council candidates are pictured above. From right, they are Kelly Callison, Rick Chinn, incumbent Anne Garcia Garland, Warren Gooch, Gary Love, incumbent David Mosby, Pedro Otaduy, former Council member Ellen Smith, and Eric Tobler. Not pictured is Aditya “Doc” Savara.

 

A majority of the Oak Ridge City Council candidates said they would consider running for mayor or vice mayor if elected on Tuesday, and almost all supported the incentives recommended for the proposed redevelopers of the former Oak Ridge Mall.

The candidates were mixed on whether to bring back red-light cameras, and most seemed to think the city’s property tax rate is about right, in light of current budget needs.

Asked to grade the current Council as leaders, the candidates handed out grades ranging from “A” to “F.”

In a series of recent forums, the candidates generally advocated for better communication between the City Council and Oak Ridge Board of Education and, for the most part, seemed to be in favor of taking over Clark Center Park in south Oak Ridge, although their approvals would hinge on factors such as cost and property restrictions.

There are 10 candidates running for four seats on the seven-member Council in Tuesday’s election. Two of the incumbents—Anne Garcia Garland and David Mosby—are seeking re-election—and two others—Mayor Tom Beehan and Mayor Pro Tem Jane Miller—are not.

Many consider it a critical election, with a business boom under way and major projects on the horizon, including the proposed redevelopment of the mall and the planned $6.5 billion Uranium Processing Facility at Y-12 National Security Complex.

The new Council is expected to elect a new mayor and mayor pro tem (like a vice mayor) during its next meeting after Tuesday’s election.

Here is a look at some of what the candidates said during the recent forums. [Read more…]

Letter: Chinn can help make needed changes

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To the Editor:

There was a recent letter to the editor in The Oak Ridger with mention of how involved a candidate should (or should not be) while running for City Council. I was disappointed that this person would not expect or want a person to be extremely active in our community prior to being elected.

Rick Chinn was specifically mentioned as being too involved to be a good candidate. Does that person realize how backwards that is? We don’t want a heavily involved businessman, community leader, and father to lead our city in the future? My candidate must have all these skills and more to get my vote! [Read more…]

Safety, health, business manager running for OS Town Council

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Nathan Benson

Nathan Benson

OLIVER SPRINGS—Nathan Benson of Oliver Springs is running for Oliver Springs alderman in Ward 4 in the November 4 municipal election.

Benson and his wife Jennifer (Wright) Benson graduated from Oliver Springs High School in 2001. They have two children named Riley and Addison Benson that attend Norwood Middle and Elementary schools.

Benson served in the Tennessee Army National Guard 278th Armored Calvary Regiment as a calvary scout after graduating from high school. During his six years in the service, he was deployed to Iraq as a sergeant assigned to the Regimental Protective Services Detail.

Benson is now employed with Canberra Industries in Oak Ridge as the safety, health, and business improvement manager, a press release said. He has been employed with them for nearly 12 years, including his leave of absence to serve overseas. [Read more…]

Letter: Two greatest tasks—protecting taxpayers’ purse, public services

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To the Editor:

When “how things are” and “how things can be” come together, growth occurs. However, not acknowledging “how things are” denies the opportunity for growth.

I wish to speak to you as if we were face to face. Whether you may agree with what I say or not, you will know that I am speaking from my heart. I want to talk about Oak Ridge because it is something that I am personally very passionate about.

The scientific achievements from Oak Ridge are extraordinary, with some of the best research in the world developed here. I am very proud of Oak Ridge and our contributions to the world. Whether exploring the deep structure of matter or the genetic code, our scientists are leading the way. But, we must confront the hard truth that we can no longer count on the federal government to carry us through. For decades, we have been avoiding this and other avenues of development. We’re starting to make progress but still have a long way to go. We need to create a balanced economy that will provide prosperity and economic security for the people of Oak Ridge and Anderson County. [Read more…]

2014 Election: Frank says she’s kept her promise; Bates wants to focus on retail, housing

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

Zach Bates

Zach Bates

CLINTON—She says she’s kept her promise to protect Anderson County from higher taxes and worked to make government more efficient while improving customer service.

He says the county needs a more targeted approach to bringing in new retail and rebuilding the housing market.

The two candidates, incumbent Terry Frank and her challenger Zach Bates, face off in the Republican primary in Anderson County on Tuesday.

Frank was first elected in a special election in August 2012. She is the first female mayor of Anderson County and running for her first four-year term. She is completing the unexpired term of former mayor Rex Lynch, who resigned in January 2011.

Bates is a one-term Anderson County Commissioner who is not seeking re-election to that seat. [Read more…]

Four Anderson County schools among top in state for growth, achievement

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Norris Middle School

Norris Middle School in Anderson County was among the top 5 percent of schools in Tennessee for annual growth and academic achievement in 2012-13, state officials said Monday.

Note: This story was updated at 8:45 a.m. Aug. 21 to add Clinton Elementary School.

Four Anderson County schools were among the top 5 percent of schools in Tennessee for annual growth and academic achievement in 2012-13, state officials said Monday.

They were Clinton Elementary School, Grand Oaks Elementary School, Norris Middle School, and Norwood Elementary School.

The four were among 169 schools in 52 districts recognized as Reward Schools in the past year, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman said in a press release. The list includes 70 schools that serve mostly economically disadvantaged populations. [Read more…]

Guest column: Do our competitors ‘hammer us’ on property tax rates?

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Myron Iwanski

Myron Iwanski

I agree with Martin McBride that Oak Ridge is a great place to live. However, I do not agree with his statement in recent columns that high property taxes are the reason Anderson County’s and Oak Ridge’s populations are not growing as fast as those in some area counties.

The following information from county and city audit reports and websites, the University of Tennessee County Technical Advisory Service, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website help make my point. [Read more…]

Guest column: New growth could leave some behind

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There is a revitalized excitement in Oak Ridge these days. The news of new restaurants and retail stores coming to town seems to have produced a bounce in our collective step. The infamous Oak Ridge Mall appears to have a new future, and work at the marina will undoubtedly enhance community life. But, in our excitement, let us not forget to consider the ramifications of our decisions.

Take the new Kroger Marketplace set to open sometime in 2014. There is a definite desire for a nicer, larger grocery store in town, and it will bring greater access to areas north of Oak Ridge Turnpike. Additionally, the development will attract other shopping and dining options to the city. [Read more…]

Guest column: Vision for ‘something else’ in Oak Ridge

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By Pat Fain and Leslie Agron

This is the first of several columns about a different vision for Oak Ridge than has previously existed.

The default development plan Oak Ridge has been operating under, to rely on federal subcontractor and spin-off industry growth, has stalled. The degree to which it will revive as the U.S. economy revives remains to be seen.

The U.S. Department of Energy says the Uranium Processing Facility they are just starting is their last big build in Oak Ridge. Upon its completion the number of employees in this function will decrease by about one-third. Given this and other concerns, it behooves us to consider other possible engines to fuel the Oak Ridge economy. We think that any successful replacement development plan will be woven from a combination of elements, rather than from one major thread alone.

[Read more…]