Oak Ridge Today

Cange named cleanup manager at DOE Oak Ridge

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Gov. Bill Haslam Visits ETTP/K-25

During a March 2014 tour, Sue Cange, center, gives Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, right, an update on the then-almost completed demolition of the K-25 Building, which was once used to enrich uranium in west Oak Ridge. (File photo)

 

The U.S. Department of Energy announced Thursday that Sue Cange will serve as the new manager for DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Congressman Chuck Fleischmann said.

“Sue has a strong background in environmental management and has done a great job as acting manager,” said Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican. “I look forward to continuing to work with her on nuclear cleanup in Oak Ridge.”

Fleischmann is chair of the Nuclear Cleanup Caucus, a group of lawmakers who have U.S. Department of Energy cleanup sites in their districts. Fleischmann’s district includes Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

U.S. House passes Manhattan Project park bill that includes Oak Ridge

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U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann

Chuck Fleischmann

Note: This story was last updated at 8:30 p.m.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that would create a Manhattan Project National Historical Park that would include Oak Ridge, federal officials said Thursday afternoon.

Passage of the bill, pursued for years by historic preservationists, was announced by U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander and Representative Chuck Fleischmann, both Tennessee Republicans. It was an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which passed in a 300-119 vote.

The bill would designate three sites that were part of the World War II-era Manhattan Project. Besides Oak Ridge, the sites include Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Hanford, Washington. The U.S. Senate is expected to pass the 2015 NDAA legislation without amendments before adjourning for the Christmas recess, perhaps as early as next week, according to the Atomic Heritage Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that has helped lead efforts to establish the park for more than a decade.

The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs. Oak Ridge sites that would be included in the park are the Beta-3 racetracks and Alpha Calutron magnets at Y-12 National Security Complex and the K-25 Building site at the East Tennessee Technology Park. [Read more…]

With deadline looming, supporters hopeful that Manhattan Project parks legislation will pass

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Manhattan Project National Historical Park House Hearing

Pictured above at a June 28, 2012, U.S. House hearing on the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act are, from front left, Cindy Kelly, Atomic Heritage Foundation president; Heather McClenahan, executive director of the Los Alamos Historical Society; and D. Ray Smith, Y-12 National Security Complex historian. Gary Petersen, Tri-City Development Council vice president, is pictured in the background. (Photo courtesy of Atomic Heritage Foundation.

An amendment introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday includes the creation of a long-sought-after Manhattan Project National Historical Park that would include Oak Ridge, and supporters are hopeful that the legislation, which has bipartisan support, will pass before the end of the legislative session.

The bill appears to have a “really good chance of moving forward,” said Kati Schmidt, spokesperson for the National Parks Conservation Association.

Besides Oak Ridge, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park would also include Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Hanford, Washington. Those three areas were among the sites involved in the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II.

There is currently no national park commemorating the project, which is considered one of the most significant events of the 20th century. Historic preservationists, including in Oak Ridge and at the Atomic Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., have tried for years to change that. [Read more…]

Company manager renovating Alexander Inn to talk to Altrusa on Wednesday

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Alexander Inn in September 2014

Construction work on the historic Alexander Inn, which is being converted from a hotel to an assisted living center, could be complete later this year.

 

Submitted

Rick Dover, general manager of Family Pride Corporation, will be the guest speaker for the Altrusa International meeting on Wednesday, September 24. Dover, an ardent historic preservationist, has acquired and revamped numerous properties in the Knox County, including an abandoned 1930s hospital and a handful of buildings in downtown Loudon, a press release said.

The Alexander Inn of Oak Ridge, which is “near and dear” to many of us, is presently being renovated. It is scheduled to open this year, as the Alexander Inn Guest House. Dover will share his story of the long, involved process of obtaining and renovating the property, keeping in mind the historical value and creating a desirable and pleasant senior living community. This is a story you won’t want to miss! [Read more…]

ORHPA celebrates 15th anniversary at Scarboro Road gatehouse

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Bobbie Martin at Oak Ridge City Council

Bobbie Martin, one of the people who helped start the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association 15 years ago this month, accepts the keys to the Midtown Community Center, which includes the historic “Wildcat Den.” This was the culmination of close to two years of work that began with a newspaper article Bobbie wrote and the contact by Mick Wiest that brought the two of them and several others together in September 1999 and to ultimately to form ORHPA. (Submitted photos)

 

The Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association will celebrate its 15th anniversary during a Thursday night meeting at the “Midway Gatehouse” on Scarboro Road. That’s the location of the group’s original meeting.

The anniversary meeting is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, September 11. Parking is limited there. Organizers said those attending should consider parking at the nearby Y-12 Federal Credit Union and carpooling from there, or they could carpool with friends from the Midtown Community Center parking lot.

“Come by the Gatehouse anytime between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. to enjoy refreshments, see displays, and view the historic building and its artifacts, as well as help celebrate 15 years as an organization,” a press release said.

Here is the story of how the ORHPA began: [Read more…]

House passes Manhattan Project Park provision, now up to Senate

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By Atomic Heritage Foundation

On May 22, the House of Representatives approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2015, which includes a bipartisan provision to establish a Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The new park will have units at Los Alamos, N.M., Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Hanford, Wash.

U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, has led efforts in the House and said: “This is a positive step toward establishing the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. There is strong, bipartisan support for this measure, and it enjoys broad support from local communities and national advocates for historic preservation and parks. The goal is to enact this into law before the end of this year and today’s action demonstrates real progress towards achieving it.” [Read more…]

With K-25 demolition complete, DOE plans to preserve building ‘footprint’

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K-25 Building Demolition March 2014

Demolition work at the K-25 Building in west Oak Ridge is complete, and cleanup work is expected to be complete this summer. Pictured above is the former south end of the east wing. (Photo by John Huotari)

Demolition of the K-25 Building in west Oak Ridge has been completed. Now, the U.S. Department of Energy looks toward the future and preserving the footprint of the Manhattan Project building.

The building was about 44 acres “under roof,” according to Susan Cange, deputy manager of DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management. K-25 was built to enrich uranium for atomic bombs during World War II.

“There was a lot of discussion over the years about whether we could retain a portion of the building as a part of historic preservation,” Cange said. “From a safety and security perspective, it really wasn’t a viable alternative.”

In 2012, Cange and others signed a Memorandum of Agreement, and they envisioned completion of a preservation project within five to seven years. They also agreed to retain the footprint of the building and dedicate it in some way to allow visitors to see the enormity of the former mile-long, U-shaped building. [Read more…]

Gov. Haslam supports national preservation award for Alexander Inn

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Alexander Inn Groundbreaking

Local, state, and federal officials join volunteers and nonprofit and business executives for a groundbreaking ceremony at the historic Alexander Inn in November.

Gov. Bill Haslam is supporting a nomination for a national historic preservation award for a project converting the Alexander Inn in Oak Ridge into an assisted living center.

Knox Heritage and East Tennessee Preservation Alliance have nominated the hotel for the 2014 The National Trust/Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Award for Federal Partnerships in Historic Preservation.

In a Feb. 25 letter, Haslam said he supports the nomination. The letter was sent to Stephanie Meeks at the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C.

The Alexander Inn was built during World War II, when Oak Ridge raced to help build the world’s first atomic weapons as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project. Guests who once stayed at the two-story hotel included Gen. Leslie Groves, Secretary of War Henry Stimson, and physicists J. Robert Oppenheimer and Enrico Fermi. [Read more…]

Federal official to give K-25 preservation update Thursday

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K-25 Original Building

The K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant is pictured above as it was when it was operating. (Submitted photos)

A federal official will give an update on the historic preservation plans for the former K-25 Building in west Oak Ridge on Thursday.

Karen Doughty, who works in environmental management for the U.S. Department of Energy in Oak Ridge, will present the status update on the K-25 Historic Preservation initiative during a Thursday evening meeting of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. The public meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the Midtown Community Center at 102 Robertsville Road. [Read more…]

Historic preservation awards to be presented to bank, school Thursday

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CapitalMark Bank and Trust

CapitalMark Bank and Trust Oak Ridge President David Bradshaw is pictured at the original Hamilton National Bank vault. (Submitted photo)

A nonprofit organization will present this year’s historic preservation awards on Thursday, Oak Ridge’s birthday.

Two awards will be presented this year, one to CapitalMark Bank and Trust in Jackson Square and the other to the Oak Ridge School Administration Building, formerly the Pine Valley School.

The awards will be presented by the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association in back-to-back ceremonies Thursday afternoon. The first ceremony at Pine Valley School starts at 3 p.m., and the second at CapitalMark Bank and Trust at 3:45 p.m. [Read more…]

Sons of the Revolution honor Anderson mayor

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Terry Frank and Sons of the Revolution

Members of the John Rice Irwin-Anderson County Chapter of Sons of the Revolution present Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank with a framed patriotic image in appreciation of her commitment to historic preservation. (Submitted photo)

The John Rice Irwin-Anderson County Chapter of Sons of the Revolution honored the county mayor earlier this month for her commitment to historic preservation, a press release said.

It said chapter members delivered a surprise token of appreciation at Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank’s office on Feb. 4.

[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…]