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Council doesn’t change Secret City Festival date, leaves it up to new nonprofit board

Posted at 10:12 am September 15, 2015
By John Huotari 5 Comments

City Council Chuck Hope, Warren Gooch, and Ellen Smith on Sept. 14, 2015

Pictured above at the Oak Ridge City Council meeting on Monday, Sept. 14, 2015, when changes to the annual Secret City Festival were made, are Council members Chuck Hope, left, Mayor Warren Gooch, and Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Smith. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 10:36 a.m.

They’ve heard concerns about moving it to the fall, and the Oak Ridge City Council on Monday did not change the date of the annual Secret City Festival. Instead, Council left any potential date change up to a new nonprofit board that could be appointed in October.

It was one of a series of steps meant to make the Secret City Festival less costly for the city and less labor-intensive for the municipal staff, to rethink how it’s organized, and to make it self-sustaining. The festival could be incorporated into a new, expanded Secret City Celebration that could include other events.

A Special Events Advisory Task Force appointed by City Council in February had recommended moving the festival to the fall as part of a celebration that would last at least a week, start in October, and continue through Veterans Day, November 11.

But Council members and a few residents laid out some objections to the proposed date change, including “dicey weather” in the fall; the potentially cold temperatures, especially for nighttime concerts; conflicts with football and other fall events; and concerns over the possibility that the festival could again become saturated with political candidates in election years, now that municipal elections have been moved to November. There were also concerns about whether some organizations that now participate in the June festival, including artists and World War II re-enactors, could take part in the fall. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Arts, Community, Entertainment, Government, Government, Music, Oak Ridge, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: board, Chuck Hope, Dogwood Arts Festival, Ellen Smith, Kelly Callison, nonprofit, Oak Ridge City Council, Secret City Festival, Special Events Advisory Task Force, Trina Baughn, Warren Gooch

Letter: CONTACT Care Line helps those in need by phone, chat, text

Posted at 10:11 pm September 2, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Letters 1 Comment

To the Editor:

Many articles in recent weeks have been reflecting on the suicide of Robin Williams and providing national help lines.

For over 40 years, right here in our community, CONTACT Care Line has provided a listening ear to those who are lonely, in crisis, having a bad day, or just need someone to talk to. CONTACT Care Line, serving the 865 area code and beyond, is a local nonprofit staffed by trained volunteers who are available to listen seven days a week, 365 days a year, from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The number to call to reach a listening ear is (865) 584-4424. All calls are confidential.

CONTACT recently added a local chat service (CONTACTCareLineTN.org/chat) and a text service ((865) 407-2TXT) available Monday-Friday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Chat/text specialists also take Suicide Prevention Line crisis chats from across Tennessee between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. weekdays. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Health, Letters, Nonprofits, Opinion, Uncategorized Tagged With: chat service, CONTACT, CONTACT Care Line, help lines, nonprofit, Robin Williams, suicide, Suicide Prevention Line, text service, Valerie Hansen, volunteers

AMSE’s operating contract with for-profit could be replaced by nonprofit

Posted at 9:27 am December 19, 2013
By John Huotari 1 Comment

American Museum of Science and Energy

The American Museum of Science and Energy on South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge is pictured above.

The contract with the for-profit company that runs the American Museum of Science and Energy will change from quarterly to monthly starting Jan. 1, and a museum expert could be hired on an interim basis to assess the museum, its place in the community, and a logical new operating structure.

The museum is now funded by the U.S. Department of Energy at a cost of about $1.5 to $1.6 million per year, said David Keim, communications director at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Revenues from the gift shop, admissions, and programs add up to about $300,000 per year.

But officials have long said that the department should not be operating the museum.

“It’s always been a government-funded operation,” Keim said. But, “DOE is not in the museum business.”

In June, a group of museum directors brought to Oak Ridge from around the country recommended that the museum be run by a community-based nonprofit organization—not DOE and not a for-profit company, Keim said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, AMSE, AMSE Foundation, Amy Fitzgerald, atomic bombs, children's museum, Children's Museum of Oak Ridge, David Keim, DOE, EASI, Enterprise Advisory Services Inc., for-profit, Jeff Smith, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Park, Mark Watson, museum, nonprofit, Oak Ridge Municipal Building, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ORNL, Ray Smith, revenues, Secret City, Secret City Commemorative Walk, U.S. Department of Energy, UT-Battelle, World War II

Anderson County will receive close to $30,000 in emergency food, shelter funding

Posted at 4:50 pm October 30, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Anderson County will receive $29,369 in federal funds to supplement emergency food and shelter programs in the county, a press release said.

The money has been awarded under the Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program.

A local board consisting of representatives from the United Way of Anderson County and other local nonprofit and governmental agencies will determine how the funds will be awarded to emergency food and shelter programs run by local service organizations in Anderson County. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Nonprofits, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, emergency food, Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program, emergency shelter, governmental agencies, nonprofit, Rick Morrow, United Way of Anderson County

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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...]

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