Oak Ridge Today

In split vote, Council rejects pedestrian safety projects on Turnpike

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Jackson Square Pedestrian Improvements

A pedestrian safety improvement project at Jackson Square is almost complete, but on Monday, the City Council balked at a second project to improve intersections on the nearby Oak Ridge Turnpike.

They had already authorized the spending, but on Monday, the Oak Ridge City Council balked at awarding a $365,000 construction contract that would use red light camera money for pedestrian safety projects.

The contract would have been awarded to Ronald Franks Construction Co. LLC of Savannah, Tenn. The project would have made traffic safety and pedestrian crosswalk improvements at eight Oak Ridge Turnpike intersections and three residential intersections.

The Oak Ridge Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan had said the intersections needed improvements, and the Council authorized the spending during a special meeting in August. [Read more…]

Dollar General celebrates new store in Oak Ridge on Saturday

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Dollar General

The new Dollar General store in west Oak Ridge has a grand opening on Saturday.

Dollar General will celebrate the opening of its new store in west Oak Ridge on Saturday.

The grand opening celebration at 2095 Oak Ridge Turnpike starts at 8 a.m. and includes free prizes and special deals, a press release said. The first 50 adult shoppers at the store will receive a $10 Dollar General gift card and the first 200 shoppers will receive a Dollar General tote bag, among other giveaways.

“Dollar General is committed to delivering a pleasant shopping experience that includes a convenient location, a wide assortment of merchandise, and great prices on quality products,” said Dan Nieser, Dollar General’s senior vice president of real estate and store development. “We hope our Oak Ridge customers will enjoy shopping at Dollar General’s new location.” [Read more…]

New low-income apartments for seniors under construction

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Information from WYSH Radio

A new three-story apartment complex for very low-income seniors over the age of 62 is currently being constructed in Oak Ridge and could be open for occupancy by next spring.

Dogwood Manor Apartments is being built behind Linda Brown Realty on Oak Ridge Turnpike and is funded by a federal Housing and Urban Development grant worth $3.1 million. The new facility will feature 23 one-bedroom apartments and a two-bedroom apartment for the on-site manager. The apartments are all designed to be handicap-accessible and one unit will be designed for use by someone with vision or hearing impairments.

Residents would pay 30 percent of their income for rent and utilities in the subsidized housing complex. The work is being performed by J&S Construction of Cookeville.

Chamber’s Christmas Parade to be held Saturday, Dec. 14

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Oak Ridge Christmas Parade

The Oak Ridge Christmas Parade last year featured floats and more than 100 businesses, clubs, and community organizations. This year’s parade is Saturday, Dec. 14. (File photo by D. Ray Smith)

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is busy preparing for its annual Christmas Parade to be held on Saturday, Dec. 14. This year’s theme is “Inside Santa’s Workshop” and promises to provide spectators with plenty of music, lights, and beautiful floats, a press release said. Businesses and community organizations have already begun registering for the parade.

The parade will begin at 6 p.m. and will begin at Corporate Center, on the corner of Lafayette and Laboratory Road. From there, the parade will travel down Lafayette to the Oak Ridge Turnpike. It will continue west on the Turnpike to Oak Ridge High School. The judge’s stand will be located in front of the Chamber. [Read more…]

Construction starts at Unitarian Universalist Church near Federal Building

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Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church Site

Construction work has started at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church between Oak Ridge Turnpike and the Joe L. Evins Federal Building.

Construction work has started at the site of a new home for the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church near the Joe L. Evins Federal Building.

Hickory Construction Inc., which has headquarters in Alcoa, announced on Thursday that it has broken ground at the 4.6-acre site. The building could be complete by next summer, a press release said.

Hickory will work with Johnson Architecture Inc. to create a larger church building that will give the congregation an extra 3,000 square feet, compared to the current building a few miles down Oak Ridge Turnpike, the press release said. The new church will feature an updated, modern appearance. [Read more…]

Blasting at Kroger Marketplace site continues Monday, Thursday

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Kroger Marketplace Building Construction

Building construction has started at the new Kroger Marketplace shopping center, and blasting at the site is scheduled to continue next week.

Building construction has started at the new Kroger Marketplace shopping center, and blasting at the site is scheduled to continue next week.

The blasting started this week in short sessions that lasted a few minutes each on Monday and Thursday afternoons.

The blasting is expected to continue next week at 2 p.m. Monday and Thursday, a city press release said. [Read more…]

Blasting scheduled Monday, Thursday at Kroger construction site

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Kroger Marketplace Site Work

Blasting is scheduled at the Kroger Marketplace construction site at Illinois Avenue and Oak Ridge Turnpike on Monday and Thursday afternoon. Pictured above is site work that started this summer.

Blasting is scheduled at the Kroger Marketplace construction site at 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7, and Thursday, Oct. 10. Oak Ridge Police Department officers will stop traffic on Illinois Avenue and Oak Ridge Turnpike during the blasting, which is scheduled to last about three to five minutes, a press release said.

Illinois Avenue traffic will be blocked from Robertsville Road to Oak Ridge Turnpike, and the Turnpike will be blocked from the Illinois Avenue/Turnpike intersection east to Robertsville Road, the release said.

Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley will send two advisement/informational calls to the businesses and residents in the area on Saturday, Oct. 5, and Tuesday, Oct. 8, the press release said. For more information, visit the city’s website at www.oakridgetn.gov.

Traffic stop leads to $8,000 in cash, suspected painkillers, police say

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Jennifer Leean Marlowe

Jennifer Leean Marlowe

James Phillip Chase

James Phillip Chase

Oak Ridge police allegedly found $8,000 in cash and an estimated $4,000 worth of suspected Roxicodone during a traffic stop last week for possible license plate and window tint violations.

A Wartburg couple, James P. Chase, 51, and Jennifer L. Marlowe, 26, were arrested and charged with possession for sale of a controlled substance.

Police said they pulled over a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck driven by Chase on Oak Ridge Turnpike near Fairbanks Road on Friday afternoon because its tinted license plate cover violated state law and city ordinances, and the window tint appeared darker than allowed. [Read more…]

Intersections, roads in central Oak Ridge closed during Neon Vibe 5K next weekend

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Neon Vibe Course Map

The race course for the Neon Vibe 5K on Sept. 21 is pictured above. (Submitted image)

Intersections and roads in central Oak Ridge will be closed for a few hours next weekend for the first Neon Vibe 5K race in Tennessee.

The race starts at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, near the pavilion inside Alvin K. Bissell Park. The course includes ORAU Way, Robertsville and Providence roads, North and South Tulane avenues, and Badger Avenue.

The Oak Ridge Police Department will start closing major intersections and side roads at 7 p.m., a press release said. The entire race course will be closed to all traffic by 7:30 p.m. [Read more…]

Board orders demolition of Price Florist

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Price Florist

A city board on Thursday ordered the owner of Price Florist on Oak Ridge Turnpike to demolish the building within 60 days.

A city board on Thursday ordered the owner of the former Price Florist building on Oak Ridge Turnpike to demolish it within 60 days.

The Oak Ridge Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals had considered whether to issue a demolition or repair order for the once-thriving store at three other meetings this year, but members had given property owner Patricia Warren of Crossville several extensions to allow her time to come back with a sales contract, repair plan, or demolition permit. On Thursday, they said she had run out of time.

“I think we’ve bent over backwards to accommodate you and your property,” board member Philip Nipper said before the 6-0 vote in favor of demolition. [Read more…]

Council approves pedestrian safety projects, Chamber contract

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Oak Ridge City Council

During a special meeting Monday, the Oak Ridge City Council approved pedestrian safety improvement projects on Oak Ridge Turnpike and at Jackson Square, and approved a contract worth up to $175,000 with the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. (File photo)

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday agreed to use more than $500,000 in red light camera money to improve the city-owned parking lot on the north side of Jackson Square and make eight Oak Ridge Turnpike intersections safer for pedestrians.

Council also approved a $175,000 contract with the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, an amount that was down significantly from previous years but higher than what City Manager Mark Watson had originally proposed earlier this year. [Read more…]

Kroger Marketplace will be company’s fifth Oak Ridge store, could add 165 jobs

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Kroger Marketplace Groundbreaking Ceremony

The new Kroger Marketplace will be the company’s fifth store in Oak Ridge, and it could add more than 165 jobs, executives said during a Thursday morning groundbreaking ceremony.

The new Kroger Marketplace shopping center scheduled to open next summer will be the company’s fifth store in Oak Ridge, and it could add more than 165 jobs, providing a “tipping point” for economic development, officials said Thursday.

It’s the largest in a series of retail construction projects now under way, including on Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue. It could be joined soon by the redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall.

“We are putting together the future attributes of growth,” Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan said during a Thursday morning groundbreaking ceremony near the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. [Read more…]