The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Advisory Board is scheduled to discuss its work plan on Thursday, and agenda items include the Oak Ridge Swimming Pool; the greenway system, including the Rails to Trails Project; and the position and policy about E-Bikes.
The board will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, August 12, in the Oak Ridge Recreation Center Social Room.
Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch will discuss the future of the outdoor pool on a local television show this evening.
The “Between The Lines” talk show is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, July 29, on BBB-TV, Comcast Channel 12. It will be online at bbbtv12.com and broadcast in Campbell County on Comcast Channel 230.
[Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road is pictured above. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)
Oak Ridge Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn, who proposed closing the city’s outdoor pool two years ago, objected to spending any money on the pool on Monday. That meant the city could not, at least for now, buy more chlorine for the large, unique pool on Providence Road, near Oak Ridge High School.
Before the vote, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Director Jon Hetrick had told the seven-member Council that the city might have enough chlorine to last through the end of June and possibly into July. “Then we would run out of chemicals to treat the pool, and we would have to shut the pool down,” Hetrick said.
A purchase considered by the Oak Ridge City Council on Monday would have allowed the city to buy up to $60,000 worth of chlorine briquettes from Duffield Aquatics of Anderson, South Carolina. The purchase would have included about $25,000 for a shipment in early July and a cushion because of a shortage in the chlorine supply.
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The Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road is pictured above. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)
Oak Ridge Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn, who proposed closing the city’s outdoor pool two years ago, objected to spending any money on the pool on Monday. That meant the city could not, at least for now, buy more chlorine for the large, unique pool on Providence Road, near Oak Ridge High School.
Before the vote, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Director Jon Hetrick had told the seven-member Council that the city might have enough chlorine to last through the end of June and possibly into July. “Then we would run out of chemicals to treat the pool, and we would have to shut the pool down,” Hetrick said.
A purchase considered by the Oak Ridge City Council on Monday would have allowed the city to buy up to $60,000 worth of chlorine briquettes from Duffield Aquatics of Anderson, South Carolina. The purchase would have included about $25,000 for a shipment in early July and a cushion because of a shortage in the chlorine supply.
The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.
Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:
Basic
Pro
Temporary
If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:
Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831
We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.
We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.
Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!
Design of the Peace Pavilion for the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell by Demian\Wilbur\Architects, Washington, D.C.
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…]
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…]
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…]
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…]
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.
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…]
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.
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.”
