Oak Ridge Today

Hensley endorses Lee, Dodson, Vogel

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To the Editor:

The City Council election coming up is very important to the future of Oak Ridge. We, as a community, are seeing significant positive change in many areas including retail growth, business recruitment, and quality of life. This election, in my opinion, can set the stage for further positive change and quality growth.

There are three candidates in my opinion, who are seeking seats on Oak Ridge City Council, who can continue and accelerate our city’s progress. Joe Lee, Jim Dodson, and Hans Vogel have impressive and varied experiences to bring to bear on city issues. All three of these candidates have demonstrated, through their careers and dedication to city service, their potential as Council members and that consensus building and teamwork are keys in their approaches to make things happen.

Joe Lee [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Chamber to host City Council forum on Tuesday

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The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s Advocacy Committee is hosting its final forum of the 2016 election season. The forum for candidates running for Oak Ridge City Council will be held at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, October 18, in the Joyce Conference Room at the Chamber, which is at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The forum is free, and the public is encouraged to attend. All candidates for City Council—Jim Dodson, Wende Doolittle, Anne Garcia Garland, Chuck Hope, Joe Lee, Mark LeNoir, and Hans Vogel—have indicated their intention to participate in the forum, a press release said. [Read more…]

Tuesday forum to feature candidates for City Council, Board of Education

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A forum in Oak Ridge on Tuesday will feature candidates for Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Board of Education, and city judge.

The forum will start at 7 p.m. Tuesday, October 4, in the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater at 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike. It’s been organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge.

Candidates for Oak Ridge City Council [Read more…]

Letter: Make Vogel one of your three choices for City Council

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To the Editor:

We are very fortunate to have several candidates running for City Council on issues that Council actually works on. Continuing good schools seems to be on all platforms and should be. Safety for citizens and the community is also very important. How to pay for these without raising taxes is probably the most important part of the platform. Oak Ridge is a city dependent on the U.S. government more than most Tennessee cities. During the early years, scientists and engineers from the “plants” lived in Oak Ridge and made it a well-run, highly educated city that was famous the world over.

Some of the “plants” are still here and now are making scientific breakthroughs that are changing manufacturing in this country. 3-D printing, carbon fibers, and the Spallation Neutron Source are part of great scientific achievements. However, less than one-half of the employees live in Oak Ridge, and almost no new manufacturing is moving here to take advantage of this great success coming out of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex. That can change. [Read more…]

Hensley withdraws from City Council race

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Oak Ridge City Council Charlie Hensley and Kelly Callison Sept. 14, 2015

Oak Ridge City Council member Charlie Hensley, left, is pictured above with Kelly Callison during a meeting on Sept. 24, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:15 p.m. Aug. 24.

Oak Ridge City Council member Charlie Hensley has withdrawn as a candidate in the November 8 election, officials confirmed Tuesday.

Hensley was one of eight candidates for three seats on the seven-member Council.

The withdrawal was confirmed by the Anderson County Election Commission on Tuesday afternoon.

“This is a difficult decision but is made because I have my son’s family and two wonderful grandchildren living in the local area and with whom I want to spend more time,” Hensley said in a Tuesday statement. “Also, I want to spend time with other volunteer interests, hobbies, and related activities. Finally, there are some personal but manageable health issues that require attention.”

Hensley has served since 2007, or two terms. (Hensley served more than eight years because City Council terms were extended on a one-time basis from June 2011 to November 2012 when the dates of Oak Ridge municipal elections changed due to a revision of the City Charter that was approved by voters in November 2010.) [Read more…]

Engineer, Army veteran, community volunteer running for City Council

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Hans Vogel

Hans Vogel

Hans Vogel, current vice chair of the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission, is running for one of three seats on the Oak Ridge City Council in the November 8 election.

Vogel is also a member of the Board of Directors for Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC, and he is a graduate of the Leadership Oak Ridge 2015 class, a press release said.

He is also an engineer and Army veteran, according to the press release.

The release said Vogel has a strong vision for the city of Oak Ridge that centers around working together to achieve a healthy, vibrant, and sustainable community where people choose to live, work, and play.

“Oak Ridge has unlimited potential if the City Council, business community, and Department of Energy can join together with our citizens to address community priorities,” Vogel said in the release. “In order to achieve this goal, the city must have a plan.” [Read more…]

Letter: Yager has experience, education, volunteer spirit for District 8 seat

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To the Editor:

I am writing this letter in support of Phil Yager, candidate for County Commission in the Eighth District. In the past year, I have come to know Phil, and having attended the recent Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Candidates Forum and listening to Phil discuss his experience, education, and volunteer spirit, he is the best candidate to represent our district on the Anderson County Commission.

Phil and his wife have been homeowners in Oak Ridge since 2006. He has a B.S. degree in Business Administration and has had a 30-year career in the investment industry. His background in financial management will be a great asset to the County Commission. He also has experience in the areas of mediation and arbitration, having served as Director of Mediation and Arbitration for the Better Business Bureau. This position gave him experience in conflict resolution and will enhance his ability to work with other commissioners and city, county, and state official to facilitate positive opportunities for our residents. [Read more…]

Planning Commission approves re-subdivision for Main Street Oak Ridge, the mall redevelopment

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Planning Commission Main Street Oak Ridge Jan. 7, 2016

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission approved a re-subdivision for Main Street Oak Ridge, the $80 million project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall as a mixed-use development including retailers, restaurants, residential units, and a hotel, on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. Oak Ridge Community Development Director Kathryn Baldwin is standing at right. City staff members and representatives of RealtyLink, the development company, were also present. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge officials on Thursday approved a re-subdivision that was required for the $80 million project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall.

The re-subdivision includes 10 different lots, including one larger parcel in the center of the 58-acre site and other smaller lots. Officials said the re-subdivision was necessary for financial considerations, and it is a condition for closing on the property.

Oak Ridge Community Development Director Kathryn Baldwin said the city has received notice the remediation is complete on the interior of the mostly empty mall, and construction drawings have been submitted for three buildings expected to receive permits. The new buildings could be erected next to Belk and in the area where Sears is now.

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission approved the re-subdivision in an 8-0 vote during a special meeting Thursday. Planning commissioners present were Chair Stephen Whitson, Vice Chair Austin Lance, Secretary Claudia Lever, and members Charlie Hensley, Sharon Kohler, Jane Shelton, Hans Vogel, and Todd Wilson. [Read more…]

ORNL division director to discuss international thermonuclear reactor Tuesday

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Hans Vogel

Hans Vogel

A division director at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will discuss heating, fueling, and cooling the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) project at ORNL during a Tuesday meeting in Oak Ridge.

The lunchtime meeting featuring Hans Vogel will be hosted by Friends of ORNL.

This will be the second in a series of three talks on the U.S. ITER project. The next one on May 13 will feature Graeme Murdoch.

During the Tuesday talk, Vogel, who is the ORNL Nuclear Systems division director, will discuss the Tokamak cooling water system, ion cyclotron transmission lines, electron cyclotron transmission lines, pellet injection system, disruption mitigation system, and the tokamak exhaust processing system. These systems are valued at more than $500 million, a press release said. [Read more…]

Chief engineer for U.S. ITER at ORNL to give project overview on Tuesday

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Brad Nelson

Brad Nelson

The chief engineer for the U.S. ITER Project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will give a project overview on Tuesday.

Brad Nelson is the chief engineer for the U.S. International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor Project. His Tuesday talk will be the first in a series of three presentations on the U.S. ITER project to Friends of ORNL, with Hans Vogel speaking on April 8 and Graeme Murdoch speaking on May 13.

The New Yorker published a story on ITER in its March 3 edition titled “A Star in a Bottle” by Raffi Khatchadourian.

Nelson’s Tuesday presentation during a Friends of ORNL luncheon lecture starts at noon at the University of Tennessee Resource Center in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]