Oak Ridge Today

Erase Your Trace is Saturday, April 27

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Keep Anderson County Beautiful Erase Your Trace April 27 2019

It is spring cleaning time in East Tennessee and Keep Anderson County Beautiful is joining with Ecyclers USA and Knighthurst Shredding to help you erase your trace, a press release said.

  • Accepted items include:
    • button batteries and rechargeable batteries;
    • compact fluorescent bulbs;
    • cell phones;
    • eyeglasses;
    • some books;
    • blankets;
    • personal computing equipment (including systems, laptops, peripheral devices, components, and cables);
    • televisions;
    • monitors;
    • home electronics;
    • metals; and
    • paper (to be shredded—up to five standard boxes).
  • Items not accepted include encyclopedias, cookbooks, textbooks, tube fluorescent bulbs, alkaline batteries, and shoes.

[Read more…]

Volunteers sought for cleanup of Historic Emery Road

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Seventy-five-year-old asphalt pavement found in the overgrowth adjacent to the bridge on Historic Emery Road. (Submitted photo)

Seventy-five-year-old asphalt pavement found in the overgrowth adjacent to the bridge on Historic Emery Road. (Submitted photo)

 

Volunteers are seeking help for a March 30 cleanup of the Historic Emery Road in Oak Ridge.

“The Emery Road is both the best kept secret of Oak Ridge and a national treasure,” a press release said. “Even though the century-and-a-half old Emery Road Rock Pillar Bridge is in the heart of the downtown area, few are aware of this monument to the past, nor that the oldest road in the state passed through the center of our town. This colonial settlement trail should have been formally recognized long ago, just as the Natchez Trace has been. A grassroots group of citizens seek to change this oversight, first by cleaning up the parkland surrounding it, where the invasive underbrush catches all the blowing litter from the surrounding businesses, and then by getting it recognized as a proper heritage park.

“If you think our deeper heritage as a community is important, come join us in the cleanup on March 30, 2019, at the Midtown Community Center (Robertsville Road and Oak Ridge Turnpike) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.” [Read more…]

Volunteers cleaning up historic Emery Road on Saturday

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Friends of the Historic Emery Road Cleanup April 28 2018

The Highland View Neighborhood Association and the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association have organized a cleanup of the historic Emery Road Rock Pillar Bridge Area near the Midtown Community Center (Wildcat Den) on Saturday.

The cleanup is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 28.

“We invite the public to help in cleaning up this parkland area,” an event notice said. “Bring gloves; other equipment will be provided by Keep Anderson County Beautiful. Snacks and water will be served to participants of the cleanup to sustain the effort.”

The rain day for this event will be May 5. [Read more…]

Keep Anderson County Beautiful receives $20,000 grant

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keep-anderson-county-beautiful-grant-outdoor-chess-board-at-robertsville-middle-school-1

Keep Anderson County Beautiful, or KACB, is the recipient of a 2016 Keep America Beautiful/Lowe’s Community Partners $20,000 grant. In mid-December, Keep Anderson County Beautiful said it is building an outdoor chess board at Robertsville Middle School as part of the grant. (Photo by Keep Anderson County Beautiful via Facebook)

 

Keep Anderson County Beautiful, or KACB, is the recipient of a 2016 Keep America Beautiful/Lowe’s Community Partners $20,000 grant, a press release said. Keep Anderson County Beautiful announced on its Facebook page that it has building an outdoor chess board at Robertsville Middle School as part of the grant.

The KACB grant is being used to improve the landscaping at Robertsville Middle School, the press release said. The goal is to develop a pleasant campus with shade structures, benches, picnic tables, trees, and other vegetation.

In mid-December, Keep Anderson County Beautiful, a nonprofit, volunteer organization, announced on its Facebook page that it is building an outdoor chess board at Robertsville Middle School as part of the grant.

This is part of the first phase in a larger plan to make RMS a center of outdoor community activity, to enhance the students’ day-to-day lives, and to improve the campus by giving it a more park-like atmosphere and additional recreational sports areas, the press release said. [Read more…]

Tree workshop dedicated to Pat Imperato to be held at UT Arboretum

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University of Tennessee Arboretum fall scene (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

University of Tennessee Arboretum fall scene (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

Pat Imperato

Pat Imperato

A tree workshop at the University of Tennessee Arboretum on Saturday, November 12, will be dedicated to Pat Imperato, a tireless champion of environmental issues, a press release said. Her advocacy was evident in her long history of contributions to the Oak Ridge Environmental Quality Advisory Board and Keep Anderson County Beautiful, the release said.

The workshop will be presented by the Oak Ridge Environmental Quality Advisory Board in partnership with the UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center. It’s scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, November 12, at the UT Arboretum Auditorium, which is at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Imperato, 69, died in October, but she spent the last several years spearheading work on a “Tree Plan” for Oak Ridge. Imperato was also an outspoken proponent for proper stewardship of city and private lands, and she was interested in community education and outreach, the press release said. [Read more…]

Students, including in Oak Ridge, Clinton schools, donate more than 22 tons to Goodwill

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Hamblen-Winning-Class

The class in Hamblen County that won an ice cream party by donating the most to Goodwill of all Hamblen County classrooms. (Submitted photo)

 

Elementary and middle school students across Anderson, Knox, and Hamblen County—including Clinton City Schools and Oak Ridge Schools—recently participated in the Annual Goodwill Sack Pack material drives. More than 1,600 students from all three counties brought in an approximate total of 44,910 pounds of donations for Goodwill Industries-Knoxville.

From May 9 through 13, students were encouraged to bring donations of gently used clothing, toys, and other household goods to school to benefit Goodwill Industries, a press release said. In exchange for their donations, students were rewarded with free snacks from McDonald’s, free passes to the American Museum of Science and Energy, and/or the opportunity to win two free passes to Dollywood. A third-grade class at Hillcrest Elementary won an ice cream party from Keep Morristown-Hamblen Beautiful for having the most participation of all Hamblen county classrooms. [Read more…]

Neighborhood cleanup focuses on Highland View on May 2

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Keep Anderson County Beautiful T-shirt

Photo submitted by Mare Martell

Help put the unity back in commUNITY at this year’s neighborhood cleanup hosted by the Oak Ridge Police Department Community Resource Office, the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program, Keep Anderson County Beautiful, and Central Baptist Church.

All participants will rally in the big parking lot of Central Baptist Church at the Hillside Road side. Sign-in and equipment pickup starts at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 2. The event will run from 9 a.m.-12  p.m. This happens rain or shine.

If you have a particular area on which you prefer to focus your attention, please call one of the contact numbers to arrange for the pickup of the trash-filled bags. (The sign-in and equipment pickup applies even for the people who have special requested a particular area before May 2 by contacting Officer Brandan Sharp or Sharon Crane). [Read more…]

Earth Day Festival is April 25 at A.K. Bissell Park

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Earth Day

Pictured above is a special recycling event at Earth Day Festival.

Keep Anderson County Beautiful will host the eighth annual Earth Day festival in Oak Ridge on Saturday, April 25, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at A.K. Bissell Park.

East Tennessee residents living in or around Oak Ridge are invited to participate in the festival, organizers said. It features free activities and events that promote healthy living and environmental education, and that encourage individuals to create and contribute to a sustainable community.

Sponsored in major part by KACB and Leidos, Earth Day will feature outdoor games for children, music, healthy food vendors, exhibitors showcasing educational booths, an on-site scavenger hunt, and neighborhood games such as hopscotch, bocce, croquet, flying discs, ladder ball and a special reduce, reuse, recycle game. There will be a special area for preschool children. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge joins statewide effort to plant 50,000 trees

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Oak Ridge Tree Day Group

The City of Oak Ridge participated in the 50K Tree Day on Saturday, March 14, a statewide planting throughout Tennessee with the goal of planting 50,000 trees in one hour. (Submitted photo)

 

The City of Oak Ridge participated in the 50K Tree Day on Saturday, March 14, a statewide planting throughout Tennessee with the goal of planting 50,000 trees in one hour.

With the help of 61 volunteers, including students from Oak Ridge High School, members of Keep Anderson County Beautiful, and other community supporters, volunteers were able to plant about 400 trees at the disc golf course on Tuskegee Drive. The variety of Tennessee native trees planted included elderberry, silky dogwood, staghorn sumac, shumard oak, and ninebark.

Great American Clean-Up Kick-off in Oak Ridge on Saturday

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Great American Cleanup Keep Anderson County Beautiful 2014

Submitted photo

Keep Anderson County Beautiful is hosting a kick-off event for the Great American Clean-up on Saturday, March 7, from 9 a.m. to noon in front of the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

“If you were provided a free litter grabber and large plastic bags would you take the challenge to help keep your part of Anderson County litter free?” asks Linda Kimmel, co-chair of the event. These materials will be available on Saturday and from KACB for litter pick-ups throughout the Great American Clean-up, which runs from March-May. [Read more…]

Recycle electronics, other items; shred documents on Saturday

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You can recycle certain electronics and other items and shred documents during a recycling event on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Saturday.

The recycling program is sponsored by Keep Anderson County Beautiful. It is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, November 8, at the Potter’s Clearance Center next to Willow Ridge Garden Center.

It’s part of the national America Recycles Day, sponsored by Keep America Beautiful.

During the local event, Scott Recycling of Knoxville will collect old computers and peripherals, cell phones, rechargeable and button batteries, compact fluorescent light bulbs (no tubes), used books (not text books), and eyeglasses. For televisions, there is a charge of $20/TV and $1 per CRT computer monitor because of current expenses associated with recycling CRT screens. No TV cabinetry will be accepted. Scott Recycling from Knoxville will be recycling the electronics. [Read more…]

Former Council member Smith running for City Council

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Ellen Smith

Ellen Smith

Ellen Smith, who served on Oak Ridge City Council from 2007 to 2012, has announced that she is a candidate for City Council in the November 4 election.

Smith is a 33-year resident of Oak Ridge who describes herself as “an Oak Ridger by choice.” As newcomers to East Tennessee in 1981, she and her husband Rich Norby looked around the area and then chose to buy in Oak Ridge and make this city their home, a press release said.

Both have made their careers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where Ellen is a research staff scientist in the Environmental Sciences Division and Rich is a corporate fellow in the Environmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute. Their adult son Karl was born here and attended school at Linden Elementary School, Robertsville Middle School, and Oak Ridge High School.

Smith said she decided to run for City Council this year after many citizens from diverse sectors of the city urged her to do so, the press release said. People tell her they value her knowledge of Oak Ridge, its history, and city government; her thoughtful analysis of issues and proposed solutions; and her responsiveness to citizens who contacted her with concerns, the release said. Smith said she is committed to working for the community and all of its citizens. [Read more…]