Oak Ridge Today

HonorAir Flight brings Manhattan Project veterans from Oak Ridge to DC

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Honor Flight 2017 Manhattan Project Veterans Velva Irwin Hugh Barnett Sarah Archer Louise Keaton

On April 5, 2017, Atomic Heritage Foundation staff enjoyed meeting four Manhattan Project veterans from Oak Ridge who participated in an HonorAir Flight Knoxville program. The veterans were Velva Irwin, Hugh Barnett, Sarah Archer, and Louise Keaton. (Photo courtesy Atomic Heritage Foundation)

 

Story and photos courtesy Atomic Heritage Foundation

On April 5, 2017, Atomic Heritage Foundation (AHF) staff enjoyed meeting four Manhattan Project veterans from Oak Ridge who participated in an HonorAir Flight Knoxville program. The veterans were Velva Irwin, Hugh Barnett, Sarah Archer, and Louise Keaton.

Honor Flights, organized by nonprofits around the country, bring World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the national memorials that pay tribute to their sacrifices. This flight, the 23rd organized by HonorAir Knoxville, carried more than 130 veterans from East Tennessee, including 22 World War II veterans. After arriving in Washington, D.C., the veterans visited the United States Air Force Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the National World War II Memorial, the Marine Corps Memorial, and Arlington National Cemetery.

AHF’s Cindy Kelly, Alexandra Levy, and Nathaniel Weisenberg met the veterans after they came off the bus at the National World War II Memorial. The AHF enjoyed speaking with Hugh, Velva, Sarah, and Louise about their Manhattan Project experiences. The organization took photographs and presented each of them with a Manhattan Project National Historical Park T-shirt featuring Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Construction could start this year on K-25 History Center

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

K-25 History Center and Equipment Building

An image showing the K-25 History Center on the second floor of the city-owned fire station, right, at East Tennessee Technology Park, with the Equipment Building and Viewing Tower at left. (Graphic by David Brown/U.S. Department of Energy)

 

Construction could start this year on the K-25 History Center at the East Tennessee Technology Park in west Oak Ridge, federal officials said. Plans also call for an Equipment Building and Viewing Tower at the site. Although the projects depend upon funding, the goal is to finish the work by 2019.

The K-25 site was one of three large sites built by the federal government in Oak Ridge during World War II to help make the world’s first atomic weapons as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project. The other two sites were X-10, which is now known as Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Y-12, now the Y-12 National Security Complex.

At K-25, the three history-related facilities will have three missions. The History Center will tell the story of the workers. The Equipment Building will focus on the technology. And the Viewing Tower will show visitors the size of the site. All three facilities will be on the south side of the former mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building.

K-25 used a process called gaseous diffusion to enrich uranium for atomic weapons and, later, for commercial nuclear power plants. Officials and contractors have said that K-25 helped win the Cold War. The site is now known as Heritage Center or East Tennessee Technology Park.

Preserving its history is part of a Memorandum of Agreement that was signed in August 2012 and allowed for the complete demolition of K-25, once the world’s largest building under one roof. The historic preservation work is expected to cost about $20 million total. [Read more…]

A first in Anderson County: Oak Ridge home demolished as part of state blight elimination program

Posted at
By 2 Comments

The first home to be torn down in Anderson County as part of the state's HHF Blight Elimination Program was being demolished at 678 West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, May 3, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The first home to be torn down in Anderson County as part of the state’s HHF Blight Elimination Program was being demolished at 678 West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, May 3, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12:30 p.m.

It’s being described as a first: An Oak Ridge home is being demolished Wednesday as part of a state blight elimination program. It’s the first home to be torn down in Anderson County as part of the state’s HHF Blight Elimination Program.

The property being demolished is at 678 West Outer Drive. It’s owned by the Oak Ridge Land Bank. The demolition, being done by First Place Finish, is estimated to cost close to $3,600, and it is expected to be completed today (Wednesday, May 3).

The work is being funded by the U.S. Treasury’s Hardest Hit Fund, or HHF. Tennessee’s HHF Blight Elimination Program is administered by the Tennessee Housing Development Agency, or THDA. Anderson County is one of six counties in the Volunteer State included in the program.

Under the Blight Elimination Program, qualified nonprofits and land banks can apply for loans of up to $25,000 to cover the cost of acquiring a blighted abandoned home, demolishing it, “greening” the property, and maintaining the vacant lot. The greened lot can then be transformed into new affordable housing or another use that is approved by THDA and is expected to stabilize and improve the neighborhood. [Read more…]

Not clear yet where National Park Service will go when AMSE closes

Posted at
By 4 Comments

former-sears-roebuck-co-oak-ridge-jan-2-2017-web

An agreement signed Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, by the U.S. Department of Energy and City of Oak Ridge calls for the American Museum of Science and Energy missions to be relocated within about one year to 18,000 square feet of space in a two-story building that once housed a Sears Roebuck store next to JCPenney at Main Street Oak Ridge. It’s not yet clear if the National Park Service, which has shared space with AMSE, will also move into this building. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

It’s not clear yet where the National Park Service will go when the American Museum of Science and Energy building closes at the end of the year, but a federal official said the Park Service will stay in Oak Ridge.

It could relocate to a two-story building that once housed Sears Roebuck at Main Street Oak Ridge, the former Oak Ridge Mall. That’s where the U.S. Department of Energy’s public education and outreach missions, now housed at the American Museum of Science and Energy, are moving.

But the National Park Service hadn’t committed to moving there as of April 17, said Niki Nicholas, site manager of the Oak Ridge unit of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The NPS needs more information, Nicholas said in response to questions after a Monday afternoon presentation to AAUW, or American Association of University Women. (A reader had told Oak Ridge Today of an April 17 letter reportedly sent from the Manhattan Project National Historical Park to federal officials at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which manages AMSE.)

Nicholas said the National Park Service has several options in Oak Ridge, including Main Street Oak Ridge. But she declined to elaborate on the precise number of options, where they might be, or what organizations or businesses might be co-located in those buildings. [Read more…]

Bike with a Ranger on the North Boundary Greenway on Saturday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Join a park ranger for a bike ride on the North Boundary Greenway in Oak Ridge to see how the former communities of the area have changed during the past 70 years. The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will present a free program at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 29, 2017. (Photo courtesy National Park Service)

Join a park ranger for a bike ride on the North Boundary Greenway in Oak Ridge to see how the former communities of the area have changed during the past 70 years. The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will present the free program at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 29, 2017. (Photo courtesy National Park Service)

 

You can join a National Park Service park ranger for a bike ride on the North Boundary Greenway to see how the former communities of the area have changed during the past 70 years.

It’s a free program by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, and it will start at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 29. The program will begin at the Turnpike Gatehouse and travel down Quarry Trail, a press release said

“Along the ride, we will explore the former communities that were here before the Manhattan Project,” the press release said. “Rangers will stop several times along the bike ride to point out the rich history that is found within the Oak Ridge area.”

The Turnpike Gatehouse is located at 2900 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. Tennessee state law requires that bicycle operators under 16 years of age must wear a helmet, and child passengers under 40 pounds or 40 inches must be seated and secured in a child restraining seat or bicycle trailer, the press release said. [Read more…]

Acting Oak Ridge site manager of Manhattan Project park to give info, ask for input Monday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Niki Nicholas

Niki Nicholas

 

The acting site manager of the Oak Ridge unit of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park will present information on the park and ask for input about the project during a meeting on Monday.

Besides being acting site manager of the Oak Ridge park unit, Niki Stephanie Nicholas is also superintendent of both the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area and the Obed Wild and Scenic River.

The Monday meeting is open to the public. It’s a general meeting of AAUW (American Association of University Women), and it’s scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. Monday, April 24, in Room 102 at First Presbyterian Church.

A soup and sandwich luncheon, catered by The Soup Kitchen, will be served at 11:30 a.m., with the program beginning at noon, a press release said. The cost for the lunch is $8. There will be cookies and iced tea and coffee also. Reservations may be made by calling Mary Uziel at (865) 483-1043. Reservations are asked for those also who plan to bring a sack lunch to ensure adequate seating for the program. [Read more…]

General Assembly approves bill that would establish CROET as ETTP manager

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The East Tennessee Technology Park, now known as Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge, is pictured above in this aerial photo from 2015. The large building that extends from left to right at left-center is the former K-27 Building, where demolition work was completed in August 2016. (Photo courtesy CROET)

The East Tennessee Technology Park, now known as Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge, is pictured above in this aerial photo from 2015. The large building that extends from left to right at left-center is the former K-27 Building, where demolition work was completed in August 2016. (Photo courtesy CROET)

 

The Tennessee General Assembly has approved legislation that would establish the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, or CROET, as the manager of the 1,300-acre East Tennessee Technology Park in west Oak Ridge, a press release said.

The legislation was sponsored by Tennessee Senator Ken Yager and Representative Kent Calfee, both Kingston Republicans. It has been sent to Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam for his signature.

East Tennessee Technology Park, or ETTP, is also known as Heritage Center and the former K-25 site. It once housed the K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant, which was built during World War II as part of the Manhattan Project. That was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons, before Germany could.

The ETTP site, once used to enrich uranium, is slowly being cleaned up. K-25 operations ended in 1985, and the site was permanently shut down in 1987. Now, it is being slowly converted into a large industrial park. Proponents hope it will become one of East Tennessee’s prime locations for new industry, the press release said.

CROET President Lawrence Young said the state legislation “is the latest step in efforts by the Department of Energy and CROET to reindustrialize the former K-25 site and help diversify the region’s economy.” [Read more…]

Housing report recommends more new homes, rental units

Posted at
By 7 Comments

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce and its Housing Task Force, which was chaired by Melinda Hillman, right, presented a housing report to the Oak Ridge City Council during a non-voting work session on Tuesday, April 18, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce and its Housing Task Force, which was chaired by Melinda Hillman, right, present a housing report to the Oak Ridge City Council during a non-voting work session on Tuesday, April 18, 2017. At left is Parker Hardy, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce president. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The competition to provide housing for workers is fierce, and Oak Ridge needs more new homes in the $180,000-$280,000 price range and more rental units in the $900-$1,200 price range, according to a housing report presented to Oak Ridge City Council by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.

Also proposed in the housing report: the development of attractive, convenient mixed use gathering spaces; improving the appearance of existing neighborhoods through aggressive codes enforcement; beautification projects in public spaces to make Oak Ridge more appealing; developing and implementing a consistent “brand” for Oak Ridge that encompasses livability, economic development, and tourism; incentivizing home improvements in the Manhattan District Overlay; and developing public/private partnerships to work on housing.

The report, which was presented to City Council in a non-voting work session on Tuesday, studied where Oak Ridge employees live, based upon the zip codes of 7,372 employees from eight major Oak Ridge employers. It found that 22 percent of Oak Ridge workers live in Oak Ridge. That’s compared to 44 percent who live in Knox County, primarily in Farragut, Hardin Valley, Northshore, Karns, and Cedar Bluff.

Ten percent of the Oak Ridge workers live in Roane County, 6 percent live in Clinton, and less than five percent each live in Loudon, Blount, Morgan, and other counties, the report said.

The housing report only reviewed Oak Ridge as it compares to the five most popular communities where people who work in Oak Ridge choose to live (Farragut, Hardin Valley, Northshore, Karns, and Cedar Bluff).

“Competition for residents is fierce, and Oak Ridge competes with some of the most desirable communities in the region,” the report said. [Read more…]

Retired Oak Ridge school teacher, historian to discuss pre-Oak Ridge women

Posted at
By 1 Comment

The 1920's brought significant progress for women. (Submitted photo)

The 1920s brought significant progress for women, a press release said. (Submitted photo/ORHPA)

 

A retired Oak Ridge school teacher and historian will discuss the women who lived in this part of East Tennessee before Oak Ridge was built during World War II.

Eugene Pickel will also pay tribute to retired Oak Ridge teacher Catherine Ledgerwood during his talk to the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association on Thursday.

“Women are more equal today than ever in history,” Pickel said in a press release. “I thought I would describe women generally as they were in our area—Kingston, Clinton, Oliver Springs—before Oak Ridge was created. Then I thought I would go to Catherine Ledgerwood—the most creative change agent I have ever known. Her impact on young people was, and still is, remarkable!”

Oak Ridge was built during World War II as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project, a federal project to make the world’s first atomic weapons. The Manhattan Project production site that became Oak Ridge displaced century-old family farms and small crossroads communities: Scarborough, Wheat, Robertsville, and Elza. (Some have historical markers.)

The Thursday night ORHPA meeting starts at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 13, at the Midtown Community Center at 102 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Manhattan Project program: Celebrate National Junior Ranger Day at AMSE on April 15

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

MAPR JR RANGER

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park encourages families to visit the park this week as part of National Park Week.

“Kids of all ages are invited to come learn how to explore, learn, and protect your national park on April 15, and become an official Junior Ranger,” a National Park Service press release said.

Visit https://www.nps.gov/mapr/oakridge.htm for a preview of the planned activities.

All participants will receive Junior Ranger badges or patches and a certificate upon completion of the program, the press release said. Junior Ranger activity guides may be obtained at the park visitor desk located in the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge.

“The program is designed for kids ages 8 to 12 years old, but is available to anyone young at heart,” the press release said. “Come out to explore, learn, and protect your national park.” [Read more…]

Weaver presents program on African-American involvement in Manhattan Project to Oak Ridge youth

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

On February 22, in honor of Black History Month, Rose Weaver, in conjunction with Manhattan Project National Historical Park, presented an informative program on African-American involvement in the Manhattan Project and the creation of the “Secret City.” (Photo courtesy Manhattan Project National Historical Park)

On February 22, in honor of Black History Month, Rose Weaver, in conjunction with Manhattan Project National Historical Park, presented an informative program on African-American involvement in the Manhattan Project and the creation of the “Secret City.” (Photo courtesy Manhattan Project National Historical Park)

 

On February 22, in honor of Black History Month, Rose Weaver, in conjunction with Manhattan Project National Historical Park, presented an informative program on African-American involvement in the Manhattan Project and the creation of the “Secret City.”

Weaver is an active member of the Oak Ridge community and has a passion for preserving the history of the African-American presence since the city’s inception, a press release said. During the past 15 years, Weaver and her late brother, Terry Weaver, have been gathering oral histories and artifacts for a traveling exhibit to tell the stories of the rich history of Oak Ridge and to share with area youth.

She gave her program to a group of 20 young girls at Girls Inc. in Oak Ridge, the press release said. The girls are participating in a year-long educational program called Parks in Focus. The goal of the program is to educate the youths about the natural/cultural history of the area as well as basic photography skills. [Read more…]

Learn more about Oak Ridge, bike with a park ranger on Saturday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

 

You can join a park ranger for a bike ride down Melton Lake Greenway on Saturday.

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge, will present a free program on Saturday, March 25, at 10 a.m. The program will begin at Elza Gate Park, former entry point to the Secret City, and continue down Melton Lake Greenway. Rangers will stop several times along the bike ride to point out the rich history that is found within the Oak Ridge area, a press release said.

Elza Gate Park is located at 101 Oak Ridge Turnpike in east Oak Ridge. If you need directions, maps are available at the National Park desk in the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge, or you can call (865) 576-6767. [Read more…]