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Council to consider water intake bypass; discuss housing, SROs, conference center, airport

Posted at 1:00 am April 18, 2023
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge City Council in a special meeting Tuesday evening, April 18, will discuss a water intake bypass during construction of the new water plant at the Clinch River.

During the meeting, the seven-member Council will consider awarding a contract worth up to $367,4000 to Morgan Construction for materials and installation of the bypass water line at the water intake site.

The special meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom. You can see the agenda here.

After the special meeting, the seven-member Council will hear a presentation of a housing study by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. There will also be a follow-up discussion of the school resource officer program, an update about the conference center plaza project, and a review of the airport project. You can see the agenda here.

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: airport, conference center, housing study, Morgan Construction, Oak Ridge City Council, school resource officer, water intake bypass, water plant

Oak Ridge Housing Authority proposes home project in Scarboro

Posted at 3:13 am April 17, 2023
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Housing Authority is interested an affordable housing project on about 16-18 acres of city-owned land next to the Scarboro Community Center. The site is pictured above on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Housing Authority is interested in an affordable housing project on about 16-18 acres of city-owned land next to the Scarboro Community Center. The site was expected to be developed by Habitat for Humanity more than a decade ago, but that project did not proceed for reasons that aren’t clear.

The project could help as it becomes more difficult for many people to find a place to live, either because they can’t find a home that is available or because of rising home prices and rental rates.

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Filed Under: Business, Business, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Slider Tagged With: housing project, Maria Catron, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Housing Authority, ORHA, Scarboro Community Center

Company could evaluate leaving rail in place at airport

Posted at 4:50 pm February 11, 2023
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Image from Oak Ridge City Council agenda packet for Feb. 13, 2023.

The Brentwood company performing preliminary studies for the proposed Oak Ridge Airport could evaluate leaving a short section of railroad in place and building a runway bridge over it.

The short section of railroad has been called a potential “deal-killer” for the airport.

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Filed Under: Business, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Slider Tagged With: environmental assessment, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, Goodwyn Mills Cawood, Jack Suggs, Oak Ridge airport, Oak Ridge City Council, preliminary engineering design, rail line, rail spur, railroad, Tennessee Department of Transportation

Oak Ridge city manager retiring

Posted at 8:27 pm January 17, 2023
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Mark Watson

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson is retiring in May.

Watson, who has been city manager since 2010, announced his May 5 retirement during an Oak Ridge City Council work session on Tuesday.

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Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Top Stories Tagged With: Charlie Hensley, Chuck Hope, city manager, Ellen Smith, Jim Dodson, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge City Council

City Council approves rezoning for trade school

Posted at 3:37 am January 13, 2023
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A rezoning allows a plumbers and steamfitters union to use a former hardware store on Oak Ridge Turnpike for a trade school. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday unanimously approved a rezoning that allows a former hardware store to be used for a trade school.

It was the second and final reading of the rezoning request. The city staff had recommended the change.

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Filed Under: Business, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Premium Content Tagged With: ACE Hardware, Oak Ridge City Council, Plumbers and Steamfitters Local Union #102 JATC, rezoning, trade school

Council postpones apartment rezoning vote

Posted at 9:54 pm January 12, 2023
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, will consider a rezoning request that could allow about 400 apartments on about 32 acres along South Illinois Avenue headed toward Knoxville. (Map by City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday postponed a vote on a rezoning that could allow a large apartment complex along South Illinois Avenue.

City Council members said a 96-page traffic study for the project appeared to be from July, but they had only received it recently.

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Filed Under: Business, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Premium Content Tagged With: apartments, Charlie Hensley, Jennifer Williams, Oak Ridge City Council, rezoning, traffic study, Warren Gooch

New apartments possible on South Illinois

Posted at 4:28 pm January 7, 2023
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, will consider a rezoning request that could allow about 400 apartments on about 32 acres along South Illinois Avenue headed toward Knoxville. (Map by City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider a rezoning request that could allow about 400 apartments on roughly 32 acres along South Illinois Avenue.

The property is bordered by South Illinois Avenue, Mitchell Road, and Centrifuge Way (at the top of the hill headed out of Oak Ridge to Knoxville on South Illinois).

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Filed Under: Business, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Slider Tagged With: apartments, C. Paul Harrison, Jennifer Williams, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission, rezoning, rezoning request, South Illinois Avenue

Power to TRISO at Horizon could cost $13 million

Posted at 4:08 pm January 2, 2023
By John Huotari 2 Comments

This map shows the potential route of 69-kilovolt overhead power lines for the TRISO-X nuclear fuel facility at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge, starting at the substation (SUB) on the south side of Highway 95/58 (lower right), continuing up Novus Drive (center right), crossing onto Horizon Center land, and then running east (to the right) on the back side of Site 6 (open area at upper right).

Building a new substation and electrical lines to supply power to a nuclear fuel company could cost $13 million, Oak Ridge officials said in December.

The nuclear fuel company, TRISO-X, needs about 32 to 35 megawatts of electricity at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge. That would make the company the city’s biggest electrical customer. (Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex get most of their power directly from Tennessee Valley Authority.)

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Filed Under: Business, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Roane County, Roane County, Slider Tagged With: Ardo Ba, Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement, Charlie Hensley, City of Oak Ridge, David Wilson, Derrick Hammond, DOE, electric substation, electrical lines, electrical project, electrical supply, Ellen Smith, HALEU, high-assay low-enriched uranium, Horizon Center, IDB, Jack Suggs, Jim Dodson, Novus Drive, nuclear fuel, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Electric Department, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, Patterson and Dewar Engineers, power poles, power supply, Richard Chinn, substation, Tennessee Valley Authority, TRISO-X, TVA, U.S. Department of Energy, X-energy

City seeks spending authority for Horizon Center power

Posted at 3:44 pm December 10, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Nuclear fuel company TRISO-X needs electrical power for a manufacturing facility in Horizon Center by December 2024, and the Oak Ridge Electric Department wants the authority to spend up to $3 million to help make that possible. (Image by City of Oak Ridge)

Nuclear fuel company TRISO-X needs electrical power for a manufacturing facility in Horizon Center by December 2024, and the Oak Ridge Electric Department wants the authority to spend up to $3 million to help make that possible.

If approved by Oak Ridge City Council, the money would be used to design and build a new electric substation and distribution network to provide power to Lot 6 on the back side of Horizon Center, which is on the west side of town. The work would include engineering design, land surveys, site clearing, the purchase of materials, and acquiring permits and other required items.

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Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Slider Tagged With: Ardo Ba, City of Oak Ridge, electric substation, Horizon Center, manufacturing facility, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Electric Department, Tennessee Valley Authority, TRISO, TRISO-X, U.S. Department of Energy

Gooch seeks re-appointment as mayor

Posted at 2:54 pm December 10, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Warren Gooch

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch is seeking a fifth two-year term as mayor. Gooch has asked the other six members of Oak Ridge City Council to re-appoint him to that position on Monday. He is the only council member seeking to be appointed mayor.

Meanwhile, there are two candidates for mayor pro tem, which is like vice mayor. Council members Jim Dodson and Chuck Hope have both asked to be appointed to that position.

The council member who had been mayor pro tem, Rick Chinn, did not seek re-election in November after two four-year terms on council.

In his letter of intent for mayor, Gooch said Oak Ridge is headed in the right direction, with good news across the city from Elza Gate in the east to The Preserve in the west.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: 2022 Election, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Chuck Hope, election, Jim Dodson, mayor pro tem, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Mayor, Rick Chinn, Warren Gooch

City will pay at least $15 per hour for permanent, full-time work

Posted at 2:35 pm November 16, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Municipal Building is pictured above on Tuesday evening, May 5, 2020. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Full-time permanent employees of the City of Oak Ridge will earn at least $15 per hour starting in January under a resolution unanimously approved by Oak Ridge City Council on Monday.

Seasonal, part-time, and temporary employees would not be guaranteed this wage.

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Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: compensation plan, livable wage, living wage, minimum wage, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge City Council, pay range, updated compensation plan

City breaks ground on new water plant

Posted at 8:25 am October 21, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The City of Oak Ridge broke ground Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, on its new water treatment plant on Pumphouse Road. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The City of Oak Ridge broke ground Wednesday on its new water treatment plant, which could cost $78.3 million.

The new plant will use a technology known as ultrafiltration membranes, a type of purification that uses very fine membranes. It will be along the Clinch River at the city’s water intake off Pumphouse Road south of Bethel Valley Road.

“This plant provides every drop of water to our 31,000 residents from Elza Gate on the east, to the Preserve on the west, and to all (U.S. Department of Energy) facilities, most notably Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex, which will soon include the new Uranium Processing Facility,” said Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch. “Our new plant will produce high-quality drinking water and deliver it through new pipelines more reliably and efficiently than current operations.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Slider Tagged With: Jacobs Engineering, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Public Works, Patrick Berge, Warren Gooch, water plant, water treatment plant

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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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