Oak Ridge Today

Red Cross building—the city’s housing office in World War II—is for sale

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Red-Cross-Building-Aug-10-2016-High

The Red Cross building, which was the city’s housing office during World War II, is for sale. The building, which is on Oak Ridge Turnpike, is pictured above on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Red Cross building, which was used as the city’s housing office during World War II, is for sale.

The American Red Cross had been in the building since 1945, but it last had a part-time employee there in 2014.

It’s one of the few original Oak Ridge buildings remaining on Oak Ridge Turnpike or Illinois Avenue, said Mick Wiest, president of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association.

A Red Cross official said the organization is trying to lower its overhead across the country and occupy fewer buildings. That leaves more money to serve clients, said Michelle Hankes, executive director of the Red Cross East Tennessee Chapter Office, which is based in Knoxville.

Much of the organization’s work is field work and can be conducted with a laptop and cell phone, Hankes said. [Read more…]

Demolition work on K-27, last of big 5 uranium-enrichment buildings, to be complete this month

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Demolition work should be complete this month on K-27, the last of the big five buildings once used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons and commercial nuclear power plants at the former K-25 site in west Oak Ridge, officials said in July 2016. (DOE photo/Lynn Freeny)

 

Demolition work should be complete this month on K-27, the last of the big five buildings once used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons and commercial nuclear power plants at the former K-25 site in west Oak Ridge, officials said last week.

Demolition work started on K-27 in February.

Like the other four buildings that have already been demolished, the four-story, 383,000-square-foot K-27 building once used a process known as gaseous diffusion to enrich uranium.

The demolition is part of Vision 2016. That’s the plan by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management, or EM, to remove all five gaseous diffusion buildings from the site by the end of the year.

Federal officials said it’s the first time in the world that a uranium enrichment complex has been cleaned and removed. [Read more…]

Dover Development wins national preservation award for Alexander Inn

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Alexander Guest House Front Entrance Sept. 23, 2015

The front entrance is pictured above at the Alexander Guest House, which converted the historic but long-vacant Alexander Inn hotel into a beautifully restored assisted living center. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Rick Dover and Dover Development of Knoxville have won a national preservation award for their work to convert the historic Alexander Inn, a dilapidated, vacant two-story hotel in Oak Ridge, into the Alexander Guest House, a beautifully restored assisted living center.

Knox Heritage, which played a key role in the project, announced the award on Friday. Also playing a key role was the East Tennessee Preservation Alliance.

Dover Development won the Chairman’s Award for Achievement in Historic Preservation from the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, or ACHP, a press release said. Members of the ACHP are appointed by the president of the United States.

It’s one of the highest awards given for historic preservation, the press release said. [Read more…]

Manhattan Project Park program: Oak Ridge, past to present, at Alvin K. Bissell Park

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Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

During a walk this month, the National Park Service will discuss how and why Oak Ridge was developed and how people were encouraged to stay during World War II. The free walk will be led by a ranger at Alvin K. Bissel Park at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 28.

The walk will begin at the Secret City Commemorative Walk, and it will end at the International Friendship Bell.

The walk will also feature Shigeko Uppuluri, who will discuss her role in bringing the Friendship Bell to Oak Ridge. She will discuss the history and meaning of the bell.

The Secret City Commemorative Walk is located at the end of the parking lot next to the Oak Ridge Public Library at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike, near the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and South Tulane Avenue. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge, AC added to state blight elimination program; loans of up to $25K per home

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TDHA Perrey Oak Ridge Gooch Blight Elimination Program July 11 2016

Oak Ridge and Anderson County have been added to a state blight elimination program that could allow the city to accelerate its efforts to remove blighted and abandoned homes and replace them with new affordable housing, or possibly green space. Ralph Perrey, left, executive director of the Tennessee Housing Development Agency, makes the announcement in Oak Ridge on Monday, July 11, 2016. Also pictured is Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge and Anderson County have been added to a state blight elimination program that could allow the city to accelerate its efforts to remove blighted and abandoned homes and replace them with new affordable housing, or possibly green space. Loans of up to $25,000 per home are available.

The Blight Elimination Program allows qualified nonprofits and land banks, like the one in Oak Ridge, to apply for loans of up to $25,000 to acquire blighted, abandoned homes, demolish them, turn the property into green space, and maintain the vacant lots. The “greened” lots can then be turned into new affordable housing or converted into other uses meant to stabilize neighborhoods, with the uses approved by the Tennessee Housing Development Agency.

The $25,000 per demolition will be fronted by the THDA. The work could start with the Oak Ridge Land Bank Corporation, THDA Executive Director Ralph M. Perrey said during a Monday afternoon press conference in Oak Ridge. The press conference also included Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch, and Katie Moore, East Tennessee THDA representative.

The Blight Elimination Program has $10 million in funding available in Tennessee on a first-come, first-served basis. Much of it is likely to be used in Memphis in Shelby County, one of six other counties previously approved for the Blight Elimination Program, Perrey said.

But Memphis isn’t the only place that needs help, he said.

“I think a fair amount of that can be put to work here,” Perrey said in Oak Ridge on Monday. [Read more…]

ORHPA hosts presentation on growing up in Oak Ridge

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Ed Westcott and Ray Smith

Ed Westcott, right, was the only official photographer in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project in World War II, a top-secret project to build the world’s first atomic bomb. Westcott is pictured above with D. Ray Smith, Y-12 National Security Complex historian and newspaper history columnist. (Photo courtesy D. Ray Smith)

 

The Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association will host a presentation on growing up in Oak Ridge on Thursday, July 7.

“Join us and reminisce on how it was growing up in the Secret City through photographs from renowned Manhattan Project photographer Ed Westcott,” a press release said. “Don and Emily Hunnicutt will be the speakers.”

The “Growing Up in Oak Ridge” presentation is at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 7, at the Midtown Community Center (Wildcat Den) at 102 Robertsville Road. [Read more…]

Learn about secrecy, security, spies at Turnpike Gatehouse on July 8

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

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

 

Learn about secrecy, security, and spies in a program presented by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Oak Ridge on Friday, July 8. The program will start at 3 p.m. July 8 at the Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse on the west end of town.

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

It’s free and open to the public. Parking is limited, so please try to carpool if possible. The gatehouse is also at a trail head for the North Boundary Greenway, and visitors can go for a self-guided hike after the program.

Visitors that are taking the U.S. Department of Energy public tour are encouraged to attend the program after the tour. [Read more…]

Barbara Ferrell receives Muddy Boot Award

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David McCoy Barbara Ferrell and David Bradshaw June 17 2016

Barbara Ferrell, center, received a Muddy Boot Award in a surprise ceremony on Friday, June 17, 2016, in conjunction with the Lavender Festival in Jackson Square in Oak Ridge. Also pictured are Dave McCoy, left, and David Bradshaw. (Submitted photo)

 

Barbara Ferrell, who owns The Ferrell Shop in Jackson Square, received the Muddy Boot Award on Friday.

The award is given by the East Tennessee Economic Council. It is a tribute to people who, through their work and community activities, make East Tennessee a stronger region.

The mid-year Muddy Boot Award was given to Ferrell in a surprise ceremony on Friday in conjunction with the annual Lavender Festival in Jackson Square.

Ferrell has been a leading independent retailer in Oak Ridge for more than 25 years, a press release said. She has been the driving force behind the successful Lavender Festival, which celebrates its 18th year this year. [Read more…]

Amateur Radio Club demonstrates World War II-era military radio at Secret City Festival

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Sterling Edmunds of the Roane County Amateur Radio Club explains historical communication to visitors during the Secret City Festival. In the background are working, restored military “morale” radios and receivers from WWII and the Cold War. (Submitted photo)

Sterling Edmunds of the Roane County Amateur Radio Club explains historical communication to visitors during the Secret City Festival. In the background are working, restored military “morale” radios and receivers from World War II and the Cold War. (Submitted photo)

 

By Kathryn King

The Oak Ridge Amateur Radio Club demonstrated World War II-era military radio communications Friday and Saturday as part of the Secret City Festival. The group also hosted communications as part of the National Parks on the Air Program, celebrating the centennial of the National Park Service and the newly established Manhattan Project National Historical Park. A special event radio call sign, N4M, was issued for this event. The concurrence of these three events represented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for local amateur radio operators.

Approximately 200 people visited the exhibit, which, along with live, on-the-air radio operations, also featured replays of historic broadcasts, such as news programs from World War II, including the announcement of the existence of Oak Ridge and the Manhattan Project. [Read more…]

State housing grant of $500,000 will be used to renovate more than 60 homes

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THDA Check Presentation to Oak Ridge June 8 2016 Slider

The Tennessee Housing Development Agency awarded the City of Oak Ridge a $500,000 grant on Wednesday, June 9, 2016, that will be used to renovate more than 60 single-family homes. Pictured above are THDA Executive Director Ralph M. Perrey, third from left, with other state and Oak Ridge officials. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The $500,000 state housing grant that Oak Ridge received Wednesday will be used to renovate more than 60 homes, officials said.

The HOME Program grant is from the Tennessee Housing Development Agency, or THDA. It’s funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered in part by the THDA in Tennessee.

“The HOME dollars will be of good use in making these homes safe, sound, and affordable,” said Ralph M. Perrey, THDA executive director.

The city plans to use the money to renovate 63 owner-occupied, single-family homes in the Manhattan District Overlay zone. Oak Ridge created the zone, which includes so-called “legacy homes,” mostly in the center of the city, to improve the development that is carried out in its oldest neighborhoods, a press release said.

The HOME grant money will allow Oak Ridge to replace electrical wiring systems and wall insulation, and install double-paned windows for the targeted homes, which date back to the World War II era, when the city was involved in the Manhattan Project. The city’s work under the HOME grant will be carried out in conjunction with Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient, or MORE2, a project that is performing energy retrofits for 229 homes in the designated neighborhoods, the press release said. [Read more…]

Secret City Festival offers weekend of fun, entertainment

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2015 Secret City Festival photo by Rob Welton

2015 Secret City Festival photo by Rob Welton

 

By Explore Oak Ridge

The 14th annual Secret City Festival is Friday and Saturday, and the excitement is building! Kick off your festival fun by bringing your chairs and your family, and stake out a spot in front of the Pavilion Stage. You don’t want to miss the great artists that will be performing all day on Friday and Saturday.

Arrive early to take in the opening ceremonies, then get your Friday festival started with entertainment from ACRODUNK. Showcasing their highflying, gravity defying acrobatics with “slam,” ACRODUNK performs three times on Friday and Saturday.

Jubal hits the Pavilion Stage twice Friday afternoon with their alternative folk music. Combining two voices and a guitar, Jubal creates an intricate and emotional sound.

Get your fill of Scottish bagpipes and drums from the Knoxville Pipes and Drums, who open Saturday morning’s pavilion entertainment.

The Secret City Winds and the Oak Ridge Community Band will be showcasing their talents with an array of musical selections twice on Saturday. [Read more…]

DOE: Oak Ridge’s Building K-27 being torn down quickly

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K-27 Demolition

Crews are moving at an impressive pace on Building K-27, completing more than 65 percent of the demolition since February. (Photo by DOE)

 

In February 2016, demolition crews started tearing down the K-27 gaseous diffusion building.

Now, only months later, the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and its contractor UCOR have already completed demolition on more than 65 percent of the four-story, 383,000-square-foot facility, the U.S. Department of Energy said.

K-27 is the last of five large gaseous diffusion facilities to be torn down at the East Tennessee Technology Park, or ETTP, which was formerly known as the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant and often referred to as the former K-25 site.

“Due to the heavy contamination and state of the 1940s facility, K-27 was one of the environmental management’s highest cleanup priorities,” the DOE Office of Environmental Management, or EM, said in a May 31 newsletter. “The progress taking down the facility moves EM closer to fulfilling its Vision 2016—the removal of all five gaseous diffusion buildings from the site by year’s end. It is not only a significant goal for EM and Oak Ridge, but it will also mark the first time in the world that a uranium enrichment complex has been cleaned and removed.” [Read more…]