• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

 

Y-12 celebrates new fire station, emergency operations center

Posted at 3:26 pm January 26, 2023
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Y-12 Site Manager Gene Sievers talks about the plant’s new fire station and emergency operations center during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A new fire station and emergency operations center at the Y-12 National Security Complex will replace “severely outdated” buildings that were constructed in the 1940s, about eight decades ago. The new buildings will improve working conditions, consolidate operations now conducted in separate places, and provide ample space for large equipment like fire trucks, federal officials and Y-12 leaders said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday.

Workers at the plant, which manufactures components for the nation’s nuclear weapons, among other activities, have been talking about the new facilities for at least 13 years. The start of construction was celebrated with a groundbreaking ceremony in April 2021. The new buildings, reported to have cost $68 million, are part of a “huge transformation,” an effort to modernize the site.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!

Filed Under: National Nuclear Security Administration, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: CNS, Consolidated Nuclear Security, Emergency Operations Center, fire station, Gene Sievers, Jill Hruby, Jim Blair, Manhattan Project, National Nuclear Security Admininstration, NNSA, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 Fire Department, Y-12 National Security Complex

Learn Oak Ridge history at Jackson Square on Saturday

Posted at 10:15 pm January 12, 2023
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

A historical photo of Jackson Square in Oak Ridge. (Photo credit: U.S. Department of Energy/Ed Westcott)

You can learn about Oak Ridge history at Jackson Square on Saturday.

The free program is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, January 14. It is organized by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.

“Join a park ranger for a walk through Jackson Square,” the National Park Service said.

The program will begin in the upper parking lot of Jackson Square in front of the fountain.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, History Tagged With: history, Jackson Square, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Park Service, Oak Ridge

New supervisor named for Manhattan Project National Park

Posted at 10:57 am December 8, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Wendy Berhman

A new supervisor has been named for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge.

The selection of Wendy Berhman as the new superintendent was announced by National Park Service Acting Regional Director Kate Hammond.

Berhman succeeds Kris Kirby, who served in the position for six years before accepting a position as associate state director for the Bureau of Land Management Wyoming State Office, the NPS said.

Besides Oak Ridge, the three-site national park includes Hanford, Washington, and Los Alamos, New Mexico. The three sites were part of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II. The park was established in 2015, and it is administered through a collaborative partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government Tagged With: Kate Hammond, Kris Kirby, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Park Service, Oak Ridge, U.S. Department of Energy, Wendy Berham

Oak Ridge designated World War II Heritage City

Posted at 11:54 am December 7, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Y-12 Calutron Girls
Women enriching uranium in calutrons at Y-12 as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. (Photo by Manhattan Project photographer Ed Westcott)

The City of Oak Ridge has been designated a World War II Heritage City, the only city in Tennessee to receive that designation.

The National Park Service has notified the city of the designation, Oak Ridge said in a press release Tuesday.

“The American World War II Heritage Cities Program honors the contributions of local towns, cities, (and) counties, and commemorates the stories of the men, women, and children whose bravery and sacrifices shaped the U.S. home front during World War II, and still impact our nation today,” the press release said. “Only one American World War II Heritage City can be designated in each state or territory. Oak Ridge played a critical role in history and has been designated Tennessee’s American World War II Heritage City through the program. ”

Oak Ridge was a key production site during World War II as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project, a federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons, before Germany could. Among other work, Oak Ridge enriched uranium for the first atomic bomb used in wartime and had the first reactor to make plutonium-239. A plutonium sample was sent to scientific facilities at Los Alamos, New Mexico, and more of that isotope, the fuel used in the second bomb, was produced at Hanford, Washington.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, History, History, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: American World War II Heritage Cities Program, American World War II Heritage City, Chuck Fleischmann, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Mark Watson, National Park Service, Oak Ridge, plutonium, uranium, World War II, World War II Heritage City

Learn about secrecy, spies on Dec. 17

Posted at 11:53 am December 3, 2022
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse is pictured above on the west end of town. (Submitted photo)

You can learn about secrecy, security, and spies during the Manhattan Project in World War II in Oak Ridge on Saturday, December 17.

This National Park Service program is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. December 17 at the Oak Ridge Turnpike gatehouse on the west end of town.

“The program is accessible to all visitors and will give insight to what life was like in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project with heightened security, need for secrecy, and worry of spies,” the NPS said in a newsletter.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Education, Federal, Front Page News, Government, History, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Park Service, Oak Ridge, secrecy, spies, World War II

Updated: K-25 Viewing Platform will be built

Posted at 4:12 pm February 2, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Artist rendering of the new Viewing Platform, which will be located next to the recently constructed K-25 History Center overlooking the footprint of the K-25 Building. (Artist renderings by David Brown)

Note: This story was updated at 9 a.m. Feb. 4.

Two federal agencies have agreed to build a K-25 Viewing Platform at the historic site in west Oak Ridge that was used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants during World War II and the Cold War. The design is expected to be complete in March and the building completed by the end of 2023.

The construction agreement for the viewing building at the former K-25 site was signed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The viewing platform will give visitors a view of the large 44-acre footprint of the former K-25 Building. K-25, which was the world’s largest building, was erected during World War II as part of the Manhattan Project to help enrich uranium for the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II. The K-25 Building was demolished in 2013, and many other structures at the site have been removed as the federal government turns over property for private development.

The K-25 Building site itself is now part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. That project commemorates the workers, equipment, and processes used during the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico.

The K-25 Viewing Platform and associated exhibits are the final components of a multi-project agreement that the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management signed in 2012, clearing the way for demolition of the North Tower of the mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building. The projects commemorate the history of the K-25 site, which has also been known as the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, K-25, K-25, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Ben Williams, Cold War, DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, equipment building, Joseph Sahl, K-25 Building, K-25 History Center, K-25 Viewing Platform, Laura Wilkerson, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, OREM, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, uranium enrichment, USACE

Manhattan Project Park will commemorate atomic bomb effects

Posted at 12:14 pm July 14, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The International Friendship Bell is pictured above in Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge. (Photo courtesy National Park Service)

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will ring the International Friendship Bell 76 times on Friday morning, August 6, to commemorate the effects of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima 76 years ago.

The bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, at 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945. It was the first atomic bomb used in war and the first of two dropped on Japan near the end of World War II. Uranium for the first bomb, which was code-named “Little Boy,” was enriched in Oak Ridge. The bomb had about 140 pounds of uranium fuel and had an explosive force equivalent to 15,000 tons of TNT, according to Atomic Heritage. Between 90,000 and 166,000 people are believed to have died from the 10-foot, 9,700-pound bomb in the four-month period following the explosion, Atomic Heritage said.

The National Park Service is calling the August 6 ceremony “Days of Peace and Remembrance.”

“During this silent event, we will be requesting visitors to come up and ring the bell,” a press release said. “Visitors will be able to write down their own hopes and messages of peace.”

The United States dropped a second atomic bomb, a plutonium-fueled weapon, on Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, 1945, three days after the Hiroshima bombing. It had about 13.6 pounds of plutonium fuel and an explosive force equivalent to 21,000 tons of TNT. About 80,000 Japanese died by the end of 1945 because of that bomb, which was called “Fat Man,” Atomic Heritage said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, History, History, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: atomic bomb, Atomic Heritage, atomic weapons, Days of Peace and Remembrance, Fat Man, Hiroshima, International Friendship Bell, Japan, Little Boy, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Nagasaki, National Park Service, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, OREPA, Peace Pavilion, uranium, World War II

Manhattan Project: Hike, learn about early schools, shopping, housing

Posted at 10:07 am July 14, 2021
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

You can learn about the early school system of Oak Ridge, early shopping centers, and housing in the Clinton Engineer Works during a National Park Service hike on Saturday.

The hike is along the Cedar Hill Greenway. It is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 17. It will be led by a National Park Service ranger.

The hike will begin at Cedar Hill Park, the former location of Cedar Hill Elementary School, a press release said.

“Along the hike, rangers will discuss the early school system of Oak Ridge, early shopping centers, and housing in the Clinton Engineer Works,” the release said. This will be a moderately difficult 2.5-mile hike.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Federal, Front Page News, Government, History, History, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Clinton Engineer Works, hike, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Park Service, Oak Ridge

Manhattan Project: Paddle with a ranger, visit Freels Bend Cabin

Posted at 12:11 pm July 8, 2021
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Paddle with a ranger on the Clinch River in Oak Ridge on Thursday evening, July 8, 2021. (Photo submitted by National Park Service)

You can paddle back in time to visit the historic Freels Bend Cabin and enjoy the beauty of the Clinch River this evening (Thursday, July 8) in Oak Ridge, a press release said.

Participants will learn more about the Manhattan Project as well as its impact on Oak Ridge and the surrounding areas, the press release said. The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II. Oak Ridge was part of the project. Only a few pre-war structures remain in the city, including Freels Bend Cabin.

“Together, we will visit the cabin, which was built and then remodeled during the 1800s by the Freels family of Anderson County,” said the press release from the National Park Service. “It has maintained its historical significance all these years and now resides on Department of Energy property.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, History, Recreation, Sports, Top Stories Tagged With: Clinch River, Freels Bend Cabin, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Park Service, paddle with a ranger

Manhattan Project Park has tennis court dance on June 25

Posted at 5:34 pm June 14, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Tennis Court Dance NPS
This undated photo shows a tennis court dance in Oak Ridge. (Photo courtesy National Park Service)

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will commemorate the tennis court dances that occurred in Jackson Square more than 75 years ago with a dance on Friday, June 25.

The dance is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. June 25 in the Jackson Square tennis courts. It has been organized by the National Park Service and Explore Oak Ridge.

“All ages are welcome to attend, and everyone is encouraged to participate,” a press release said. “This free event will feature swing dancing music from the 1940s World War II era as well as hits from every decade since then, including current music, so that all age groups will find something to tap their toes to. Music was chosen with the help of local Oak Ridge High School students and will make you want to get on the dance floor.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Dancing, Entertainment, Federal, Front Page News, Government, History, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Oak Ridge, tennis court dances

Learn about Wheat, a community before the war, during Saturday walk

Posted at 6:57 pm June 3, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Wheat Community Before the Manhattan Project
The Wheat community before the Manhattan Project during World War II in the area that is now west Oak Ridge. (Photo submitted by National Park Service)

You can learn about Wheat, a community before World War II, during a walk in west Oak Ridge on Saturday.

The walk will be led by a National Park Service ranger starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 5. The program will begin at Blair Road and the North Boundary Greenway.

Wheat was a community that existed in what is now west Oak Ridge before the city was built as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. That was a federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons, before Germany could.

Oak Ridge is one of three sites that are part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The other two are Hanford, Washington, and Los Alamos, New Mexico.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Federal, Front Page News, Government, History, Top Stories Tagged With: Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Park Service, Oak Ridge, walk, Wheat, World War II

Manhattan Project Park re-opens

Posted at 1:19 pm June 2, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The National Park Service visitor center is pictured above at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The visitor center for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Oak Ridge re-opened on Tuesday.

The visitor center had been shut down for many months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The visitor center is at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge on West Outer Drive. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

Oak Ridge is one of three sites that are part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The other two are Hanford, Washington, and Los Alamos, New Mexico. All three were part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. That was a federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs, before Germany could. The park tells the story of the workers and their missions during and after the war.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, History, Top Stories Tagged With: Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Oak Ridge

Next Page »

Search Oak Ridge Today

Classifieds

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

Recent Posts

  • Basketball: Wildcats beat West in rematch
  • Basketball: Lady Wildcats undefeated in district
  • Obituaries: Jan. 23-27, 2023
  • Speakers mostly support TRISO-X fuel facility at meeting
  • UPF construction could cost more, take longer
  • Y-12 celebrates new fire station, emergency operations center
  • One person seriously injured in Wednesday crash
  • Oak Ridge EM prepared for cold weather to prevent failures
  • Covenant Health donating land for Roane State health science center
  • School board approves aviation career path
A Twitter List by OakRidgeToday

Recent Comments

  • John Huotari on Power to TRISO at Horizon could cost $13 million
  • John Huotari on Lawsuit seeks 2020 election audit, voting machine restriction
  • Peter Scheffler on Lawsuit seeks 2020 election audit, voting machine restriction
  • Peter Scheffler on Power to TRISO at Horizon could cost $13 million
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Tracy Powers on Planning Commission to consider Main Street apartments, plan revisions

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2023 Oak Ridge Today