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Photos: Work on eighth rowing lane

Posted at 12:01 pm January 26, 2017
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Eighth Rowing Lane Jan 18 2017

The view from the water of the new wall installed for the eighth lane of the Oak Ridge rowing course. Calhoun’s restaurant is in the background at center right. (Photo by Laurel Patrick)

 

Laurel Patrick of First Place Finish Inc. in Oak Ridge has been posting pictures on Twitter showing the progress on work on the eighth lane of the Oak Ridge rowing course.

Here are pictures by Patrick starting November 16, used here with her permission. We have posted them below in chronological order.

First Place Finish Inc. received a $548,350 contract to add the eighth lane during a special Oak Ridge City Council meeting in September. The work includes a precast concrete block retaining wall and associated dredging and site work.

Oak Ridge officials announced in late October that the speed limit on a section of Melton Lake Drive would be temporarily reduced for at least three months starting Monday, October 31, while the eighth rowing lane is built, and part of the Melton Lake Greenway will be closed as necessary. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Rowing, Sports, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Tourism Council, eighth lane, eighth rowing lane, Explore Oak Ridge, First Place Finish Inc., Laurel Patrick, Melton Lake Drive, Melton Lake greenway, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department, Oak Ridge Rowing Association, Oak Ridge rowing course, Visit Knoxville

ORPD: Manhunt underway for three people in Claxton area

Posted at 7:34 pm December 18, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A manhunt is under way for three people in the Claxton area, the Oak Ridge Police Department said Sunday evening.

Residents in the area of Edgemoor Road and Melton Lake Drive should use caution and lock their doors, the ORPD said.

Also, motorists should avoid picking up any person who is on foot, and use caution. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Claxton, Edgemoor Road, manhunt, Melton Lake Drive, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD

Photos: Removing dirt for eighth rowing lane

Posted at 9:40 am November 28, 2016
By John Huotari 1 Comment

eighth-lane-dredging-nov-16-2016-slider

Workers remove dirt for the eighth rowing lane on the Oak Ridge Rowing Course on the Clinch River along Melton Lake Drive on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Workers have been removing dirt this month for the eighth rowing lane on the Oak Ridge Rowing Course on the Clinch River on the east end of town.

More than 250 truckloads of dirt had been removed as of November 16, according to Laurel Patrick of First Place Finish Inc., which received a $548,350 contract to add the eighth lane during a special meeting in September. The work will include a precast concrete block retaining wall and associated dredging and site work.

Oak Ridge officials announced in late October that the speed limit on a section of Melton Lake Drive would be temporarily reduced for at least three months starting Monday, October 31, while the eighth rowing lane is built, and part of the Melton Lake Greenway will be closed as necessary.

The speed limit has been reduced from 45 miles per hour to 25 mph along Melton Lake Drive between Amanda Drive and Palisades Parkway. The change will remain in place for a minimum of three months  starting October 31. Signs were to be installed to warn drivers of the reduced speed limit. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Rowing, Slider, Sports, Sports Tagged With: Clinch River, eighth lane, eighth rowing lane, Explore Oak Ridge, First Place Finish Inc., Laurel Patrick, Melton Lake Drive, Melton Lake greenway, Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department, Oak Ridge Rowing Association, Oak Ridge rowing course, Visit Knoxville

Speed limit to be reduced, part of greenway closed as construction starts on eighth rowing lane

Posted at 6:49 pm October 26, 2016
By John Huotari 2 Comments

SIRA-Regatta-April-17-2016-6

Officials and referees used Oak Ridge Rowing Association boats to monitor the races on the seven-lane course at the 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The speed limit on a section of Melton Lake Drive will be temporarily reduced for at least three months starting Monday while the eighth rowing lane is built, and part of the Melton Lake Greenway will be closed as necessary, city officials said.

The speed limit will be reduced from 45 miles per hour to 25 mph along Melton Lake Drive between Amanda Drive and Palisades Parkway, a City of Oak Ridge press release said. The change will remain in place for a minimum of three months beginning Monday, October 31. Signs will be installed to warn drivers of the reduced speed limit.

The project will also require about 500 feet of greenway to be removed and replaced at the end of construction, the press release said. As a result, a section of Melton Lake Greenway between Amanda Drive and Palisades Parkway will be temporarily closed.

Due to site preparation work, the greenway will close Friday, October 28, but will reopen for the weekend. The closure will be put back in place for the duration of the project on Monday, October 31, the press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Rowing, Sports, Top Stories Tagged With: Amanda Drive, City of Oak Ridge, eighth rowing lane, Explore Oak Ridge, John Ragan, Melton Lake Drive, Melton Lake greenway, Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, Oak Ridge Rowing Association, Oak Ridge rowing course, ORRA, Palisades Parkway, Randy McNally, rowing venue, Visit Knoxville

Temporary greenway closure due to work on eighth rowing lane

Posted at 9:00 pm October 7, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

oak-ridge-melton-lake-greenway-closure-2

A section of Melton Lake Greenway will be temporarily closed during construction of the eighth lane on the Oak Ridge Rowing Course.

The project will require approximately 500 feet of greenway to be removed and replaced at the end of construction, a press release said. The affected area is located along Melton Lake Drive between Amanda Drive and Palisades Parkway.

Due to the restricted project work zone, a temporary bypass is not expected to be feasible, the press release said. The specific start date for the closure has yet to be determined, but signs will give notice to those in the area once the closure begins. Trail users are asked to be cautious and observe all trail closure barricades and signage. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Recreation, Slider, Sports Tagged With: Anderson County Tourism Council, eighth lane, Explore Oak Ridge, John Ragan, Melton Lake Drive, Melton Lake greenway, Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department, Oak Ridge Rowing Association, Oak Ridge rowing course, Randy McNally, Visit Knoxville

Fox Auto Salvage shutting down, could be replaced by heavy equipment leasing company

Posted at 12:52 am July 25, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Fox Auto Salvage July 22 2016

Fox Auto Salvage on Melton Lake Drive is shutting down, and the business could be replaced by a company that leases heavy equipment, the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission was told Thursday, July 21, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Fox Auto Salvage on Melton Lake Drive is shutting down, and the business could be replaced by a company that leases heavy equipment, the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission learned Thursday.

Owner Tom Fox of Fox Auto Salvage said the business has been open since 1981, and he’s owned it since 1997.

Fox Auto Salvage is no longer accepting salvaged cars, and the company has disposed of most everything, Fox said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Fox Auto Salvage, Melton Lake Drive, Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission, Tom Fox

Crashed van plunges down hill, into river after tow cable snaps

Posted at 2:48 pm April 14, 2016
By John Huotari 5 Comments

ORFD-at-Melton-Lake-Drive-Van-Into-River-April-13-2016

A Ford van that had crashed alongside Melton Lake Drive plunged down a steep hillside and into the Clinch River after a tow cable snapped Wednesday night, April 13, 2016. Melton Lake Drive was closed for about an hour between Rivers Run and Rolling Links boulevards after the Oak Ridge Fire Department and Oak Ridge Police Department responded. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A Ford van that had crashed alongside Melton Lake Drive plunged down a steep hillside and into the Clinch River after a tow cable snapped Wednesday night, authorities said.

The white van had crashed into rocks and trees at the crest of a hill on a curved section of Melton Lake Drive between Rivers Run and Rolling Links boulevards in east Oak Ridge. The van was in trees about 25 feet off the road when the tow truck arrived, authorities said.

The van was hung up on rocks and trees, and when the tow truck tried to pull it out, the wrecker’s cable snapped. The van rolled down the hill and into the river, where it sank. Authorities estimated it’s about 100 feet down the embankment. The slope is steep enough that you can’t see the bottom from the top.

The crash was reported at about 9:50 p.m. Wednesday. Melton Lake Drive was closed for about an hour as the Oak Ridge Police Department and Oak Ridge Fire Department investigated. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Police and Fire, Slider Tagged With: Clinch River, crash, Melton Lake Drive, Melton Lake greenway, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, van

Driver flown to hospital by Lifestar after crashing into tree on Melton Lake Drive

Posted at 8:18 pm April 11, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Melton-Lake-Drive-Crash-Johnston-Boucher-ORPD-ORFD-April-11-2016

Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Matthew Johnston, right, and Sergeant Ron Boucher, center, investigate a single-vehicle crash on Melton Lake Drive on Monday, April 11, 2016. The Oak Ridge Fire Department also responded, and so did Anderson County EMS. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A male driver was flown to a hospital by a medical helicopter after going down an embankment and crashing into a tree alongside Melton Lake Drive on Monday, authorities said.

The single-vehicle crash was reported at about 12:16 p.m. Monday across from the entrance to Melton Lake Park. Rescuers reported that the driver was conscious.

The man was taken by ambulance to a peninsula near the UT-Battelle finish-line tower near the south end of Melton Lake Park, where a University of Tennessee Lifestar helicopter picked him up. The Lifestar helicopter landed at about 12:54 p.m. and left about 15 minutes later.

The car, a blue Toyota Camry LE, went down a small embankment off the west side of the road, the southbound lane, where it stopped in brush, facing north, after reportedly hitting the tree. Rescuers reported that they had to remove the roof, and it was peeled away from the top of the car, which was about 30-40 feet off the road. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County EMS, crash, Lifestar medical helicopter, Matthew Johnston, Melton Lake Drive, Melton Lake Park, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, Ron Boucher, Steve Dixon, University of Tennessee Lifestar

Eighth rowing lane could cost more than $500,000, up to about $1.2 million

Posted at 2:31 pm March 23, 2016
By John Huotari 25 Comments

Cardinal-Invitational-Regatta-West-Virginia-Rowing-March-12-2016

Twelve of the nation’s best NCAA Division I women’s rowing teams competed this month in the Cardinal Invitational Regatta in Oak Ridge. Pictured above, a West Virginia University team competes at Oak Ridge Marina on Saturday, March 12, 2016. The eighth lane would require some work along the Melton Lake Drive side of the course, which is on the right side of this picture. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 5:30 p.m.

An eighth lane at the seven-lane Oak Ridge rowing course could cost more than $500,000 and up to about $1.2 million, officials said Tuesday.

The eighth lane has been on the wish list of rowers and many local officials for years. They say it would allow the Oak Ridge Rowing Association to compete for bigger races and international regattas, which require an eighth lane. It would also keep the site a top-tier rowing venue and provide more on-water capacity, allowing more competitors in events. It’s also expected to significantly increase the economic impact of rowing races, or regattas.

Officials announced a $250,000 state grant for the eighth lane in April 2015.

In August, the city hired Barge, Waggoner, Sumner, and Cannon Inc. for design and survey work, among other tasks.

A March 1 memo from BWSC to Jon Hetrick, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks director, outlines five construction options with various estimates of probable costs ranging between $543,771 and $1,162,444. The five estimated construction costs include a 20 percent contingency. All five options would include a retaining wall and earthwork, which would include excavation and dredging. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Rowing, Slider, Sports, Top Stories Tagged With: Army Corps of Engineers, Barge Waggoner Sumner and Cannon Inc., BWSC, capital improvement plan, City Council, eighth rowing lane, gabion basket wall, John Ragan, Jon Hetrick, Mark Watson, Melton hill lake, Melton Lake Drive, Melton Lake Park, Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, Oak Ridge Marina, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks, Oak Ridge Rowing Association, Oak Ridge rowing course, regattas, Rick Chinn, Russell Byrd, sheet pile wall, state grant, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, Tennessee Valley Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

No one injured when fire starts in bed of commercial landscaping truck

Posted at 7:19 pm February 8, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Fire DepartmentNo one was injured when the Oak Ridge Fire Department extinguished a fire in the bed of a commercial landscaping truck on Melton Lake Drive on Monday morning, authorities said.

The truck fire was reported at about 8:30 a.m. Monday on Melton Lake Drive near Rivers Run Drive. The Oak Ridge Fire Department and Oak Ridge Police Department both responded.

The truck belonged to Eastwood Landscaping of Knoxville.

Melton Lake Drive was closed from 8:30 a.m. until just after 11 a.m. due to the fire, a press release said. The exact cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Eastwood Landscaping, fire, Melton Lake Drive, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, Rivers Run Drive, truck fire

Riverside Grille closed, development sold to Copper Cellar restaurant family

Posted at 9:09 pm February 1, 2016
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Riverside-Grille-Closed-Feb-1-2016

The Riverside Grille was closed Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, and developers and businessmen Rick and Ryan Chinn announced the property on Melton Lake Drive has been sold to the Copper Cellar restaurant family. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11:20 a.m. Feb. 3.

The Riverside Grille was closed on Monday, and developers and businessmen Rick and Ryan Chinn announced the waterfront development on Melton Lake Drive has been sold to the Copper Cellar Family of Restaurants.

It’s not clear which of the Copper Cellar restaurant brands might move into the Oak Ridge restaurant site. Options could include Copper Cellar, Chesapeake’s, Calhoun’s, and Smokey Mountain Brewery, among others.

The Chinns have owned the roughly seven-acre Melton Lake property for 10 years. They have a perpetual easement on it, which is like a long-term lease, from the Tennessee Valley Authority, Rick Chinn said Monday night. The Copper Cellar Family of Restaurants will own the perpetual easement starting this week, including the land, the 12,000-square-foot building, and its parking lots, Chinn said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Business, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Slider Tagged With: Copper Cellar, Copper Cellar Family of Restaurants, Flatwater Grill, Melton Lake Drive, R&R Investors, Rick Chinn, Riverside Grille, Ryan Chinn, Tennessee Valley Authority

Female driver escapes car after it goes down embankment at Clinch River

Posted at 9:10 pm September 29, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Car in Clinch River on Sept. 28, 2015

There were no immediate reports of injuries, and the driver reportedly escaped when this car went off Melton Lake Drive and down an embankment into the Clinch River on Monday, Sept. 28, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

There were no immediate reports of injuries, and the driver appeared to escape when a small car went off Melton Lake Drive and down an embankment at the Clinch River on Monday night.

The single-vehicle crash was reported at 10:47 p.m. Monday. The female driver was able to reportedly escape from the vehicle, which was said to be partially submerged.

The cause of the crash wasn’t immediately available Monday night. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Clinch River, crash, Melton Lake Drive, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oak Ridge Police Department

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Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

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...]

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