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Council to consider construction contract for Peace Bell Pavilion

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oak-ridge-international-friendship-bell-side-scaled

Design of the Peace Pavilion for the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell by Demian\Wilbur\Architects, Washington, D.C.

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider a construction contract for the Oak Ridge Peace Bell Pavilion. The contract, which would include associated site work, could be worth up to $440,000. It could be awarded to First Place Finish Inc. of Oak Ridge, the low bidder.

The new Peace Pell Pavilion would support the International Friendship Bell, which will continue to be at Alvin K. Bissell Park in central Oak Ridge but will move to a slightly different location within the park.

The contract award will be made after negotiations with First Place Finish to reduce the project scope to meet available funding, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Director Jon Hetrick said in a September 5 memo to City Manager Mark Watson. The bids for the project exceeded the project budget, Hetrick said.

The bid from First Place Finish had a price of $698,900. The other bid, from Holston Construction Services LLC of Knoxville, had a price of $840,000. [Read more…]

Business leaders support new life for Friendship Bell

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Pictured above are Alan Tatum, left, and Ken Rueter. (Photo by UCOR)

Pictured above are Alan Tatum, left, and Ken Rueter. (Photo by UCOR)

 

Submitted

When Ken Rueter and Alan Tatum met beside the iconic Friendship Bell in Bissell Park recently, they took a moment to reflect on the importance of preserving what the Bell symbolizes to the Oak Ridge community.

Tatum, an accelerator systems and stable isotopes group leader at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is co-chair of the International Friendship Bell Advisory Committee along with Pat Postma. Rueter is President and Project Manager of URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, or UCOR, cleanup contractor for the East Tennessee Technology Park and other sites on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation. Both men serve on the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Advisory Board.

The occasion of their May meeting was UCOR’s donation of $15,000 toward an effort to construct a new peace pavilion for the 8,300-pound bronze bell. Cast in Japan in 1993, the bell was dedicated at its current location in 1996 as a 50th anniversary landmark for the creation of the City of Oak Ridge, home to nuclear production facilities that helped end World War II. The bell symbolizes the bonds of peace and friendship that have been forged by Oak Ridge and Japan in the decades since the war ended. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Baseball Complex could be re-named in honor of volunteer

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The Oak Ridge Baseball Complex on Wilberforce Avenue could be re-named the Joe Mason Baseball Complex in honor of long-time community volunteer Joe Mason.

The Oak Ridge City Council will consider the re-naming during its Monday night meeting.

Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Director Jonathan Hetrick said administrators at Oak Ridge Schools and the Baseball Boosters Association have requested the re-naming.

“Mr. Mason is a 1958 graduate of Oak Ridge High School, where he lettered in baseball and football,” Hetrick said. “He has continued to support high school athletics in Oak Ridge, especially baseball, throughout his life. He spent many years coaching youth baseball in Oak Ridge. For over 30 years, he has led the maintenance efforts of the home field for the high school baseball team, Bobby Hopkins Field, along with the other ballfields at the complex. [Read more…]

Council to consider $72,000 contract for new Peace Bell Pavilion

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Design of the Peace Pavilion for the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell by Demian\Wilbur\Architects, Washington, D.C.

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider a $72,000 contract for a new Peace Bell Pavilion at Alvin K. Bissell Park.

The contract with Demian Wilbur Architects of Washington, D.C., would be for construction documents, bidding administration, and construction administration. Funding would be provided by the Capital Improvements Program.

In a memo to Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, Recreation and Parks Director Jon Hetrick said $25,000 was allocated for the project in fiscal year 2016, and another $50,000 was allocated in fiscal year 2017. So far, $15,000 has been used for conceptual planning by Demian Wilbur Architects, Hetrick said. The rest of the money for the contract will be allocated in the fiscal year 2018 Capital Projects Fund. [Read more…]

Two designs for Peace Pavilion for Friendship Bell to be presented Aug. 13

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International Friendship Bell

The International Friendship Bell is pictured above at Alvin K. Bissell Park before its housing structure was dismantled after the wood pavilion deteriorated. (Photo courtesy Peace Bell/Facebook)

 

The Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell has become an iconic symbol of Oak Ridge and a source of much pride. The bell is in need of a new home, and the community is invited to participate in planning for a new Peace Pavilion to house the International Friendship Bell from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, August 13, at the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater.

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Advisory Board and the Youth Advisory Board are hosting this community input session, where two proposed designs for a new pavilion will be presented. The board wants to hear opinions from the community, which will be important in determining the pavilion’s design. The International Friendship Bell Advisory Committee supports the designs and will assist with the community input session and fundraising for the pavilion.

A monument to peace and friendship with Japan, the bell was designed and cast to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the City of Oak Ridge. The bell was removed last year from the original wood pavilion, which had deteriorated after housing the bell for nearly 20 years in Alvin K. Bissell Park. The need for a new pavilion allows for a new expression of the bell and its place in Oak Ridge.

The new designs being considered surround the bell with open space and a greatly enlarged plaza. A community gathering place is envisioned, with an open design that invites large groups to gather at the bell. [Read more…]

Parks Board will present design proposals for Friendship Bell during July 9 open house

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Advisory Board will present design proposals for the International Friendship Bell Peace Pavilion Project during an open house on Thursday, July 9.

The board will also solicit public input on the design proposals during the open house, which is scheduled from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

The open house will be followed by a 7 p.m. meeting of the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board. The Oak Ridge Civic Center is at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

An inspection in February 2014 determined that 65-70 percent of the wooden support beams in the structure holding the bell were compromised and showed substantial deterioration.

Work to demolish the structure started in July 2014. Oak Ridge Today reported at the time that the city of Oak Ridge was working with a number of interested citizens and the Recreation and Parks Board on a campaign to replace the structure with a new permanent building.

Rowing coach Allen Eubanks leaving Oak Ridge

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Oak Ridge Rowing Association Boathouse

The Oak Ridge Rowing Association boathouse at Melton Lake Park on the Clinch River.

After 13 years here, the head coach of the Oak Ridge Rowing Association is leaving the Secret City.

Allen Eubanks no longer works for the ORRA. The rowing association’s board agreed unanimously earlier this month that Eubanks was “no longer needed for the position he held,” ORRA President Bob Franks said Monday.

Franks declined to elaborate on the personnel change, which he called a business decision.

“He’s a good guy,” Franks said of Eubanks. “He’s going to be successful, and we wish him well.” [Read more…]

Parks Board has March 21 open house on dog park

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Oak Ridge Dog Park Layout Draft

A draft layout of the proposed dog park at Big Turtle Park in west Oak Ridge. (Submitted image)

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Advisory Board will have an open house on Thursday, March 21, to discuss the city’s first dog park, including a concept plan and proposed rules.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the Oak Ridge Civic Center Social Room.

Radio Systems Corp. has agreed to give the city $100,000 through Legacy Parks to help build the dog park, which could be at Big Turtle Park in west Oak Ridge.

[Read more…]

Open house scheduled for planned dog park

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Oak Ridge Dog Park Layout Draft

A recent draft of a proposed dog park at Big Turtle Park. (Image submitted by city staff)

The Oak Ridge Dog Park Committee and Recreation and Parks Advisory Board have scheduled an open house this month to share information on the progress of the dog park, as well as give the public an opportunity to comment or share concerns.

The meeting will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 21, in the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

“Please plan to attend this meeting,” a press release said. “We will soon have an opportunity to have a safe place for our dogs to exercise.”

[Read more…]

Committee drafts two designs for dog park at Big Turtle

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Dog Park Proposal 1

The first, larger layout for a proposed dog park at Big Turtle Park would be closer to the Oak Ridge Turnpike. (Submitted images)

A city committee has drafted two possible designs for a dog park at Big Turtle Park in west Oak Ridge.

The proposals were presented to the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Advisory Board on Thursday by Bridgett Ellis, a parks board member and chair of the Dog Park Committee.

The parks board will fine-tune construction and maintenance costs for the dog park by the end of the year, and members could pick one of the two concept plans presented Thursday, said Josh Collins, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks director. Then, advocates will have to start looking for money.

That’s been the primary obstacle to building the dog park, a project that’s been in the works for about four to five years, Collins said.

He said the park is well-supported by many people. During Thursday’s meeting, Oak Ridge City Council member Chuck Hope said the dog park could have sponsorships, and people in the community might donate, Collins said.

“I think there’s a fair amount of grassroots support for it,” Collins said.

Dog Park Proposal 2

The second, smaller layout would be located closer to the back of the park and near a parking area.

He said the cost of the dog park would depend upon its size, but expenses could exceed $50,000 for such items as water fountains, park benches, and hundreds of feet of fencing.

The two proposals presented Thursday both include a large area for all dogs and a smaller area for small dogs.

One layout that would be closer to the Oak Ridge Turnpike would be larger, Collins said. Since it would have more fencing, it would cost more, Collins said.

But there are pros and cons to each site, he said. For example, the second location closer to the back of Big Turtle Park would be closer to parking spaces but would require the city to run a longer water line.

Collins said any recommendation developed by the Parks Board would still have to be considered by the Oak Ridge City Council.

New China Palace lease will not be renewed, city manager says

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New China Palace Restaurant

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson says the lease with the New China Palace Restaurant on Melton Lake Drive will not be renewed early next year.

The New China Palace, a waterfront restaurant said to be the second-old diner in the city, could lose its lease early next year.

In a June 11 letter, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson told the restaurant’s Chung-Nan Chou and Fu-Li Chou that the city will not renew the lease when it expires in February or March 2013.

Watson said the relatively new Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Board has developed a master plan for the waterfront area that recommends the city-owned restaurant site on Melton Lake Drive be remodeled as a bathhouse facility. It would support the “growing number of rowing and public activities on the site,” Watson said.

There are also plans to build a waterfront pavilion and water park at Melton Lake Park and improve the playground, Watson said.

A previous plan to replace the New China Palace with a casual diner stirred a public uproar. That proposal was included in a waterfront plan approved by Oak Ridge City Council in December 2009.

The plan calls for improvements on riverfront property from Elza Gate Park to Rivers Run Boulevard.

But the proposal to replace the restaurant was put on hold in November 2010 after the public uproar and only three bidders showed interest in building the casual diner.

In February 2011, the Oak Ridge City Council approved a two-year lease with the New China Palace that give the city time to review its plans. The lease began March 1, 2011, and would presumably end Feb. 28, 2013, although city officials were not available to give a precise date Thursday afternoon.

In a second letter, dated June 29, Watson said the city wanted to give the New China Palace “plenty of time for transitioning to a new location.” He said city officials and the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce are willing to help the restaurant find a new site, and he suggested several alternatives: Jackson Square, Grove Center, and the west end of town.

“We do want him to continue, and he’s got a built-in clientele,” Watson said Friday.

In a letter responding to Watson, Cheng P. Ren, New China Palace manager, said the landmark restaurant, which has been at its current location for 39 years, would prefer to stay where it is.

“Aside from Big Ed’s Pizza, there are no older restaurants in the city,” Cheng said. “As you are very aware, many of the citizens of this city consider the restaurant a true asset to the city.”

He said the restaurant has been a good public citizen. While upgrades are needed at the city-owned 3,600-square-foot building, the restaurant rent could be used to help pay for those upgrades, Cheng said.

He said New China Palace executives would like to be included in the waterfront development plan, if the restaurant has to move, and would consider a smaller store, “if it fits in better with the overall scheme being considered for the waterfront.”

If that’s not an option, Cheng said, the New China Palace would work with the city and chamber to evaluate alternative locations.

“We would rather be part of the solution than make this a political situation,” Cheng said.

Haw Ridge Park use policies discussed tonight

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Advisory Board is asking for public input on facility use policies at Haw Ridge Park during a meeting tonight.

The quarterly “Meet the Board” meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the Civic Center Social Room.

[Read more…]

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