Oak Ridge Today

City to repave Melton Lake parking lot beginning June 12

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Beginning the week of June 12, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department crews will begin repaving the Melton Lake Greenway parking lot located on Melton Lake Drive, just north of the intersection with Edgemoor Road.

These renovations will result in increased Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility and a better-defined parking area, a press release said. However, this means that from June 12 until the project’s completion, public access to this parking area will be closed and inaccessible.

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Photos: Jackson Square fountain operating, benches installed

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Jackson Square Bench and Fountain Sept. 28, 2015

The $1 million renovation of the Jackson Square parking lot includes an interactive fountain, brick-like stone pavers, and new benches, landscaping, and lights. The fountain was operating on Monday, Sept. 28, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The new interactive fountain at Jackson Square was operating on Monday. It’s part of a $1 million renovation of the Jackson Square parking lot. The work was mostly funded with a Tennessee Department of Transportation grant.

Construction started in January and, according to the most recent publicly announced schedule, was expected to be substantially complete by September 15.

The renovation includes a reconfigured parking lot, landscaped pedestrian plaza with parking, the interactive fountain, stone pavers, curbing, asphalt paving, utilities, new lights, benches, sidewalks, and upgrades under the American with Disabilities Act.

It’s the first major renovation at Jackson Square, the city’s original town center, in 70 years. The $741,609 TDOT Enhancement Grant was awarded to the city in June 2012.

There had been some concerns this summer among business owners, city officials, and residents about delays in the project. But the frustrations seemed to ease, at least publicly, after the fountain arrived in August.

The work appeared to be mostly done on Monday, September 28. Here are photos from Jackson Square on Monday.

Jackson Square Fountain Sept. 28, 2015

The $1 million renovation of the Jackson Square parking lot includes an interactive fountain, brick-like stone pavers, and new benches, landscaping, and lights. The fountain was operating on Monday, Sept. 28, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

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Photos: Jackson Square parking lot work continues Thursday

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Jackson Square Fountain and Landscaping

New landscaping is in the foreground and the interactive fountain is in the background at Jackson Square as construction continued on the $1 million parking lot renovation on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The $1 million renovation of the Jackson Square parking lot continued Thursday, with the goal of finishing the project in time for Taste of Anderson County on Saturday.

Construction started in January on what has turned into one of the most closely watched projects in Oak Ridge. Work is funded with help from a $741,609 Tennessee Department of Transportation Enhancement Grant that was awarded to the city in June 2012. The TDOT grant covers 80 percent of the work, and it requires a 20 percent city match.

The work is reported to be the first major renovation at Jackson Square in 70 years. It includes a landscaped pedestrian plaza with parking, an interactive fountain, stone pavers, curbing, asphalt paving, utilities, benches, sidewalks, and upgrades under the American with Disabilities Act. [Read more…]

Good news: Interactive fountain arrives at Jackson Square

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Interactive Fountain Vault at Jackson Square

The interactive fountain has arrived at Jackson Square. It’s the central component in the $1 million renovation of the square’s parking lot. Above, workers unload the fountain’s vault, which is essentially its operating system, early Thursday afternoon. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 4 p.m.

The interactive water fountain has arrived at Jackson Square. It’s a central component in the $1 million renovation of the shopping center’s parking lot.

The fountain components that arrived on a semi truck early Thursday afternoon were a large vault, which is the fountain’s operating system, and a collection tank. Spray pods that will go around the fountain were already here.

The entire fountain, which was custom-built by Roman Fountains of New Mexico, is now on site, said Angel Rich, president of Rich Construction Inc. of Lenoir City. The parking lot renovation, which is mostly funded with a state grant and includes the fountain, is expected to be substantially complete by September 15. That would be in time for the Taste of Anderson County on September 19 at Jackson Square.

Rich said the next steps are to dig a hole for the fountain and install it, run electrical and water lines to it, and tie it into the city’s sewer system. [Read more…]

Frustration increases, Council not pleased as Jackson Square work stretches into fall

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Jackson Square Parking Lot Meeting

Oak Ridge municipal staff members and Mayor Warren Gooch met with Jackson Square merchants at Razzleberry’s Ice Cream Lab and Kitchen on Wednesday, July 29, to discuss the $1 million parking lot renovation, which is not yet finished but could be “substantially complete” by Sept. 15. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

One merchant said he’s lost more than $100,000 in sales. Another said she had to close her business. And a third has posted signs that express frustration with the pace of construction at Jackson Square.

At one time, there was hope that the $1 million parking lot renovation at Jackson Square would be complete by the Lavender Festival in mid-June. But that didn’t happen. Now, the latest construction schedule estimates that it will be “substantially complete” by September 15—in time for Taste of Anderson County—but not finished until the end of October.

Officials have said the primary delay has been with the interactive fountain that will be installed in the center of Jackson Square. It still hasn’t arrived, and officials have said it could take four weeks to install. On Monday, the contractor and her attorney said the fountain could arrive in Oak Ridge on Wednesday.

Even business owners who had an optimistic outlook earlier have lost their patience with the project, which is mostly funded with a state grant. Their primary frustrations: The work has taken much longer than expected, the schedule keeps getting extended, and there have been too many days when, they say, they’ve seen no signs of work. In the meantime, the parking lot in front of their stores was closed for months, and they believe that the construction fencing and orange barrels drove away some potential customers.

“Why can’t they finish this?” asked Jonathan Goldstein of The String Workshop.

“We’ve been nice long enough,” said Dean Russell, owner of Dean’s Restaurant and Bakery.

“I think our frustration is how many days we’ve seen nothing happening as our customer base declines,” said Steve Seivers, who has a law practice in the square, the city’s original town center.

On Monday, the Oak Ridge City Council joined the chorus of frustration. [Read more…]

Construction: Part of Broadway to close on Saturday mornings for Farmers Market

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Oak Ridge Farmers Market and Jackson Square

The Oak Ridge Farmers Market is pictured above with Jackson Square in the background. The section of Broadway in front of Jackson Square will be closed on Saturday mornings for the Farmers Market until more parking becomes available. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

The Oak Ridge Farmers Market will be set up differently at Jackson Square starting Saturday, July 11, and for the next six to eight weeks to provide additional parking for customers.

Because both Blankenship Field and Jackson Square parking lots are closed for repaving, the City of Oak Ridge will be closing Broadway Avenue every Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to noon in front of Jackson Square until more parking becomes available.

This will allow some farmers to set up on Broadway Avenue, while others will remain in a smaller area of the Farmers Market parking lot, allowing more space for customer parking. The Farmers Market will not block any sidewalks in Jackson Square, so that customers can still get to the shops and businesses there, a press release said. [Read more…]

Schedule: Installation of Jackson Square fountain could start July 27, last four weeks

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Angel Rich Johnson and Roger Flynn

Angel Rich Johnson, left, president of Rich Construction Inc. of Lenoir City, and Roger Flynn, Oak Ridge Public Works engineer, are pictured above at Jackson Square on Monday, January 5, 2015. The Jackson Square renovations started in January.

 

Note: This story was updated at 2:15 p.m. July 7.

Installation of the interactive fountain at the center of Jackson Square could start July 27 and last four weeks, according to an estimated construction timeline.

The sidewalks and the majority of the parking lot have been finished, and Roger Flynn, acting Oak Ridge city engineer, said he has discussed project completion with Rich Construction, the contractor for the $1 million rebuild of the Jackson Square parking lot.

Construction started in January, and enough paving work was completed that merchants and vendors were able to have the annual Lavender Festival at Jackson Square on June 20. Renovations are expected to be complete by the end of August.

Flynn told merchants in a June 24 email that the remaining work is expected to take place in this order: [Read more…]

Merchants frustrated with progress at Jackson Square; protest sign posted

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Jackson Square Parking Lot Renovations Sign

There has been some frustration among merchants at Jackson Square about not being able to use the partially paved parking lot while they wait for renovations to be completed. This protest sign saying “Free Our Parking Lot!!” was posted on Wednesday.

 

Merchants have grown frustrated with the pace of renovations at Jackson Square, and on Wednesday a protest sign was posted. “Free Our Parking Lot!” said the sign, which has since been removed.

For now, the parking lot inside Jackson Square remains closed off behind construction fencing as work continues on a $1 million renovation mostly funded by a state grant awarded in 2012.

But merchants wonder why they can’t use the parking lot since it was used for the Lavender Festival on June 20.

Compounding their frustration is the closure of the lower parking lot at Blankenship Field. It’s one of two lots on the north side of Broadway Avenue and Jackson Square. Employees at nearby businesses who used to park in the Blankenship Field lot are now using the second lot, the one used by the Farmers Market, reducing the parking spaces available there, one merchant said.

The Blankenship Field work, which was approved by the Oak Ridge City Council in June, is also causing concern for the Farmers Market. The Farmer Market’s vendors set up in the second parking lot on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings, and they now don’t have parking available at either the Blankenship Field lot or inside the Jackson Square lot. [Read more…]

Crunch time: Crews start paving Jackson Square parking lot

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Jackson Square Paving June 15, 2015

Work crews started paving the new parking lot at Jackson Square on Monday, June 15, preparing it for this weekend’s Lavender Festival.

 

Work crews started paving the new parking lot at Jackson Square on Monday, preparing to put down enough pavement to have the Lavender Festival there this weekend.

Workers won’t stripe the pavement before the annual festival, and they may have to finish paving the parking lot after the festival, said Roger Flynn, Oak Ridge’s acting city engineer.

He said he is optimistic that enough work will be done that organizers can have the festival, and vendors know that the project won’t be complete.

Crews will temporarily remove exterior fencing around the square for the festival. And workers will fill in ditches and other areas to prevent tripping, Flynn said. [Read more…]

Council to consider more funding, contract for Blankenship Field parking lot

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Blankenship Field Parking Lot

The lower parking lot at Blankenship Field, which is used for football games and high school graduation.

 

The Oak Ridge City Council will consider increasing the amount of money to be used for parking lot work at Blankenship Field, and members will also consider awarding a contract for the project during a meeting tonight (Monday, June 1).

The City Council agreed in May 2014 to use $180,000 in traffic camera money for improvements to the lower parking lot at Blankenship Field, which is used for football games and high school graduation.

Council agreed to increase that amount to a maximum of $250,000 in July 2014, Oak Ridge Public Works Director Gary Cinder said in a May 26 memo to City Manager Mark Watson.

But the work could cost $264,791, according to a proposed contract from Rogers Group Inc. of Oak Ridge that the Council will consider tonight. [Read more…]

Blankenship Field parking lot project could cost $225,000

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Blankenship Field Parking Lot

The lower parking lot at Blankenship Field, which is used for football games and high school graduation.

 

A parking lot paving project at Blankenship Field could cost $225,000, according to an engineering estimate, a city official said Monday.

The City of Oak Ridge is working with the Blankenship Field Revitalization Foundation to address some questions about the work, Public Works Director Gary Cinder said at a City Council meeting on Monday.

The Oak Ridge City Council agreed in May 2014 to use $180,000 in traffic camera money for improvements to the lower parking lot at Blankenship Field, which is used for football games and high school graduation. [Read more…]

Construction work starts on $1 million rebuild at Jackson Square

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Jackson Square Parking Lot Fencing

A work crew began installing construction fencing between the city-owned parking lot and the sidewalk in front of businesses at the U-shaped Jackson Square shopping center on Monday. It’s the start of a $1 million rebuild of the parking lot in the city’s original town center. 

 

Construction work has started on the $1 million rebuild of the parking lot area at Jackson Square, Oak Ridge’s original town center.

Crews started putting up construction fencing on Monday. Project executives and city officials plan to complete the work in 180 days, or roughly six months—before the Lavender Festival in June.

The construction contract was awarded to Rich Construction Inc. of Lenoir City by the Oak Ridge City Council in October. [Read more…]