Oak Ridge Today

New Public Works director hired in Oak Ridge

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Shira McWaters

Shira McWaters (From LinkedIn profile)

Shira McWaters, a civil engineer who is now an associate at a company in Arizona, has been hired as Public Works director in Oak Ridge.

McWaters will replace former Public Works Director Gary Cinder, who retired in September 2015.

The appointment was announced by Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson.

McWaters will administer all Public Works activities for the city. The Public Works Department, with approximately 100 full-time employees, is responsible for the maintenance of city streets, all city-owned buildings, stormwater management, water treatment, distribution, and wastewater collections systems, and for the maintenance, service, and repair of all city automotive vehicles, heavy equipment, and stationary equipment.

The Department also prepares and administers the Solid Waste Collection contract and provides staff representation to the Traffic Safety Advisory Board. [Read more…]

Ribbon-cutting for Anderson County Animal Holding Facility on Friday

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Anderson-County-Animal-Holding-Facility

The public is invited to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Anderson County Animal Holding Facility at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. (Photo by Anderson County Animal Holding Facility via Facebook)

 

CLINTON—The public is invited to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Anderson County Animal Holding Facility at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, January 29.

The facility marks a major milestone and advancement in the care and welfare of animals in Anderson County and is part of a larger, long-term plan to build an independent, county-operated state-of-the-art facility, a press release said.

On hand to celebrate will be longtime former Anderson County Commissioner Robin Biloski, who will be travelling from Florida to participate in the special event.

“Our new Animal Holding Facility clearly shows how a government effectively worked to help its residents on a neglected quality-of-life issue,” Biloski said. “Anderson County has proudly demonstrated how numerous people can come together to create a reality that our citizens have wanted and needed for so long. This issue continues to be so important to me that I left sunny Florida to be part of this inaugural event and pledge to continue to work on this initiative. I hope to see many dear friends share in this joyous occasion.” [Read more…]

Council ends review of spending at Oak Ridge Marina bathrooms

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Oak Ridge Marina Bathrooms

City workers build a block wall, patch the ceiling, and hang drywall for new bathrooms and changing rooms in part of the former New China Palace restaurant at Melton Lake Park in April 2014. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

After hearing from an auditor who said he found no irregularities, the Oak Ridge City Council voted 6-1 on Monday to end a financial review of the $281,000 project to build bathrooms and changing rooms in the structure that once housed the New China Palace Restaurant at the Oak Ridge Marina.

The audit had been requested by Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, who said there was an allegation at the last Council meeting that there was some problem.

“When you get in front of a camera and you allege that something bad is going on…” Watson said, then you need to hear from a third party.

Questions have been raised about the building renovation by Oak Ridge City Council member Trina Baughn, who pointed out that she wasn’t the first to raise concerns, and former City Council member Anne Garcia Garland, among others. Most of the questions and criticisms have focused on the cost. A few different numbers have been reported about what the project was initially expected to cost and what it ended up costing. The 2014 budget showed it had a projected cost of $75,000, Baughn said.

But auditor Adam Allen, a principal of Coulter and Justus, told Council members during a special report on Monday that the renovation cost about $281,000. About half of that was labor, and another 50 percent was materials, Allen said. The audit found no irregularities. [Read more…]

Five years and $17 million later, city satisfies EPA Clean Water order

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Emory Valley Road Sewer System Holding Tanks

Workers assemble a sewer system holding tank near Emory Valley Road on Wednesday afternoon, April 1, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Five years and $17 million later, Oak Ridge has satisfied a federal administrative order that required the city to repair all sewer system overflows by the end of this month, officials announced Wednesday.

Mark Watson

Mark Watson

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said he has received a “closure letter” from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency stating the City’s Administrative Order pursuant to the Clean Water Act has been fulfilled, a press release said. The letter, signed by James Giattina, director the Water Protection Division at EPA’s regional office in Atlanta, states that the EPA Region 4 “has determined that the city has satisfied the requirements of the referenced order and hereby closes the order.”

In 2010, the EPA filed an administrative order against the city for excess “Inflow and Infiltration” affecting the wastewater collection lines within the city’s primary service areas. The EPA considered the reported system overflows and piped overflows to be a violation of the Clean Water Act, the press release said. The administrative order contained various program requirements to eliminate the overflows, ensure adequate capacity system wide, and to develop a formal management, operation, and maintenance program, or MOM.

“I am pleased to report that the challenge of the EPA administrative order charged against our city is over!” Watson said. “We have received written confirmation that we have done a substantial job in addressing the findings of the Environmental Protection Agency against Oak Ridge. The order is now closed and we can begin to maintain a consistent and ongoing maintenance effort of this important sewage infrastructure for the community.” [Read more…]

City agreed to use $150K, but low bid on Preschool paint job is $25K

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Oak Ridge Preschool and School Administration Building

The Oak Ridge City Council has agreed to use $150,000 in unspent red-light camera to repair the lead-based paint on the Oak Ridge Schools Preschool and Robert J. Smallridge School Administration Building on New York Avenue. Officials say the building needs to be renovated or vacated for the Head Start program to receive funding in the 2015-2016 school year. (File photo)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council had agreed to use $150,000 in red-light camera money to repair the lead-based paint on the city’s Preschool, but the low bid came in significantly lower—$24,700, Public Works Director Gary Cinder said Monday.

The five bids ranged up to about $112,000, Cinder told the Oak Ridge City Council.

The low bidder has done some of this type of work at the Preschool before, Cinder said.

The work is expected to be done by this fall. It provides what officials hope will be a temporary fix while they develop a plan to permanently repair, replace, or move the Preschool. [Read more…]

Council approves ORHS stoplight contract in 4-3 vote

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Oak Ridge Turnpike Stoplight at Oak Ridge High School

In a 4-3 vote Monday, the Oak Ridge City Council approved a contract to install a traffic signal at the Oak Ridge High School on Oak Ridge Turnpike.

 

Note: This story was updated at 8:42 a.m. April 15.

The City Council approved a contract to install a stoplight on Oak Ridge Turnpike in front of Oak Ridge High School in a 4-3 vote on Monday.

Public Works Director Gary Cinder said the light will be green most of the time on Oak Ridge Turnpike. But it will turn red when cars are leaving the High School, giving those drivers a green light.

And the traffic signal lights will turn all-red when pedestrians are crossing, Cinder said. [Read more…]

WYSH: Update on county mayor’s records request in Clinton

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Information from WYSH Radio

Updating a story that WYSH Radio brought you last week, officials with the city of Clinton say they are awaiting a response from the Anderson County Mayor’s Office to their response to her request last week for e-mail and other electronic communications involving City Codes Officer Curtis Perez.

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank requested all e-mails involving Perez and anyone in the County Public Works Office as it pertains to David Crowley, the director of Public Works for Anderson County. Crowley is under indictment for allegedly inspecting five homes without the proper certification, and that case has resulted in turmoil in the Anderson County Courthouse.

After the request was made last week in Clinton, officials decided to wait for guidance from the University of Tennessee’s Municipal Technical Advisory Service, or MTAS, as to how to respond, and they placed Perez’s computer into the evidence room at the Clinton Police Department until they received that guidance. The city declined the request for records, saying that it was too vague, but indicated they would provide the desired information when they received a more specific request. [Read more…]

Frank questions indictment of appointee

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David Lynn Crowley

David Lynn Crowley

Information from WYSH Radio

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank has questions for District Attorney General Dave Clark concerning the indictment of Public Works Director and Building Commissioner David Crowley.

A letter hand-delivered from the mayor’s office to the DA’s office states that the five misdemeanor charges handed down against Crowley last week by a grand jury do not meet the legal standards for those charges.

Crowley, who was appointed by Mayor Frank in September of 2012, was charged last week with five counts of inspecting houses without the proper certification following a TBI investigation. He turned himself in at the Anderson County jail Thursday morning, posted a $1,000 bond, and returned to work that same day. [Read more…]

Repairs made to Jaycee Park walking trail

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Information from WYSH Radio

Clinton Public Works and Parks and Recreation employees recently completed some much-needed work on the walking trail at Jaycee Park.

In a press release, Public Works Director Lynn Murphy said this is the first major repair effort on the trail in about 15 years. Murphy said that the city had received some complaints about the condition of the trails, which raised questions for officials about walkers’ safety.

Several sections of asphalt were either completely removed and replaced or, when possible, repaired. Officials hope that further improvements to the Jaycee Park walking trail can be made in the near future.