Oak Ridge Today

Council considers budget with no tax increase, less money for Chamber, ORCVB

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Mark Watson

Mark Watson

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider a budget that does not raise property taxes but could cut funding for the Chamber of Commerce as well as the Convention and Visitors Bureau.

It would include contracts with economic development consultants Ray Evans and Steve Jones and a 1 percent cost-of-living pay raise for city employees.

Under the budget proposed by Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, the property tax rate would stay at $2.39 per $100 of assessed value. [Read more…]

Proactive policing, officer visibility, Neighborhood Watch help reduce crime, chief says

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James T. Akagi

James T. Akagi

The number of reported crimes has dropped significantly in each of the past two years in Oak Ridge, and that’s good news for the community, economic development, and police officer morale, officials said Wednesday.

Reported crimes were down 9 percent in Oak Ridge in 2011, and 11.5 percent in 2012, according to Tennessee Bureau of Investigation statistics.

“That indicates to me that isn’t a blip,” Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi said. “It’s not a one-year blip.” [Read more…]

Guest column: Chamber hopes to continue working with city on business development

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Throughout the years, the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce has been a valuable asset to the community, supporting local businesses and promoting new business development in our city. For more than 20 years, the city of Oak Ridge and the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce have had an agreement through which the Chamber works in partnership with the city to attract new business to the community.

Appropriately, during these challenging economic times, the city is looking at all of its economic development relationships and asking itself whether or not it’s a good investment. We recognize the city’s efforts to conserve public dollars and have made a proposal to City Council for the formation of a better and less expensive partnership for the future. [Read more…]

Primetime business networking event Thursday

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CH2M Hill at Primetime

Representatives from Chamber member firm CH2M HILL with the winner of one of many door prizes given away by exhibitors at the Primetime networking event last fall. The spring event will be held Thursday at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce has its spring Primetime networking event on Thursday.

This spring’s theme is “Under the Bigtop.” Jugglers, carnival food, and music will all add to the festive environment, a press release said.

The event will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the parking lot of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. Primetime is designed to stimulate sales, so anyone—Chamber member or not—is encouraged to attend, the release said. [Read more…]

Haslam to speak, Trammell to be honored at Chamber of Commerce luncheon

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Governor Bill Haslam

Bill Haslam

Gov. Bill Haslam will be the featured speaker at an annual Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Tuesday, and the Eugene Joyce Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented posthumously to longtime Chamber board member and volunteer Kerry Trammell.

The Tuesday luncheon is the Chamber’s kickoff ceremony for the 2013 Program of Work. The annual event marks the beginning of the Chamber’s program year, and all Chamber member representatives are encouraged to attend, a press release said. [Read more…]

Guest column: Anderson County court, criminal prosecution programs at risk

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Dave Clark

Dave Clark

Proposals to redistrict Tennessee’s 31 judicial districts may cost Anderson County its full-time judges, prosecutors, public defenders, and their staffs. Proponents want to jumble 15 of Tennessee’s 31 judicial districts containing the state’s 95 counties. The pending proposal would eliminate the 7th Judicial District consisting of Anderson County and combine Anderson, Scott, Union, Campbell, Claiborne, and Fentress counties into a single district. If the move is approved in Nashville, local officials and their offices may be relocated, and many other programs may be terminated.

Currently, Anderson County has a single circuit judge, chancellor, district attorney general, and public defender. All of these offices are located in the county seat in Clinton on a full-time basis. The other counties that are part of the proposed new super-district are headquartered in Scott County in the city of Huntsville, Tenn. It is unclear if redistricting would result in all of Anderson’s current officials relocating to Huntsville. However, what is clear is that under the proposal, Anderson County officials would have duties in other counties, some of them an hour or more away, such as Jamestown, the county seat of Fentress County, located on the Cumberland Plateau bordering Kentucky.

[Read more…]

North Carolina company signs purchase contract on Oak Ridge Mall

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Oak Ridge Mall

An aerial view of the Oak Ridge Mall, which has been renamed the Oak Ridge City Center and is pictured at center in the photo above.

A North Carolina company has signed a contract to purchase the Oak Ridge Mall.

Crosland Southeast, a development and investment company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., signed a contract in late January to buy the mostly empty mall from Oak Ridge City Center LLC, according to a Wednesday morning press release from the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.

“We feel the Oak Ridge market is under-served in terms of retail and feel very positive about the retailers we believe we can bring to this new center,” Crosland Southeast partner Tim Sittema said in a Wednesday morning press release from the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.

A sale price for the roughly 60-acre site in the heart of Oak Ridge has not yet been disclosed, but it would become public after the deal closes.

“In my book, this is one of the most exciting days I’ve had here in a decade at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce,” said Parker Hardy, president of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. “This is a big deal.”

[Read more…]

Column: Chamber announces Christmas parade winners, thanks volunteeers

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Beautiful weather and mild temperatures helped to make the Saturday, Dec. 8, Christmas parade a success. Approximately 100 entries participated in the parade.

Judges awarded six awards after the parade:

[Read more…]

Chamber president speaks to Kiwanis Tuesday

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Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce President Parker Hardy will discuss local business developments and organizations during a Tuesday talk to the Kiwanis Club, a press release said.

The talk starts shortly after noon Tuesday in the meeting room of the Super China Buffet, 330 South Illinois Ave.

The press release said topics could include commercial and business developments, available buildings, Chamber functions and staff, Leadership Oak Ridge, Young Professionals of Oak Ridge, and areas of interest and concern.

The meeting is open to the public, and it starts at noon. Hardy’s talk is scheduled to start at 12:10 p.m. An optional lunch buffet will be available at 11:40 a.m.

Additional information about the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is available at the organization’s website at http://www.orcc.org/.

Chamber’s Primetime Tailgate Party features area businesses

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The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is having a networking event for businesses on Thursday.

It’s the second annual Primetime Tailgate Party, and it’s scheduled to run from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.

“Last year’s Primetime Tailgate Party was a huge hit among our membership,” said Parker Hardy, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce president. “We are pleased to provide this large-scale networking event and to provide an opportunity for people in the community to come find out more about our member businesses.”

More than 70 Chamber member businesses have already reserved exhibit space at this year’s Primetime, a press release said. Participants have been encouraged to come dressed in their favorite team colors and to decorate their display areas with a football tailgate theme.

The evening will include bluegrass music, food, beverages, door prizes, and a few games—”everything you would expect in a tailgate environment,” the release said.

[Read more…]