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An annual nonpartisan forum on Thursday will give you a chance to learn about issues and ask questions of local, state, and school officials.
The annual Pearls and Politics forum presents state legislators, local officials, and board of education members to the public, a press release said.
The forum is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 8, at the Scarboro Community Center at 148 Carver Avenue in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]
H-frame or H tower transmission towers are pictured at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex off Scarboro Road on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The National Nuclear Security Administration will have an information session on Wednesday about the Y-12 National Security Complex, the Uranium Processing Facility construction project, and the work to replace the electrical substation at Y-12.
The information session was scheduled after Oak Ridge officials raised concerns in November and December about the power lines proposed on top of Pine Ridge as part of the electrical substation project. Pine Ridge separates Y-12 from the center of the city, and Oak Ridge officials have said they had not received adequate notice of the power line project and didn’t know what other options had been considered. They also expressed concerns about the lack of public input and the visual impact of building power lines and installing transmission towers on top of the ridge. As of December, Oak Ridge City Council members said they hadn’t seen a visual representation of what the power lines could look like. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Community Development Department is continuing the Oak Ridge City Blueprint effort in 2018 with community meetings planned through the month of March. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)
The Oak Ridge Community Development Department is continuing the Oak Ridge City Blueprint effort in 2018 with community meetings planned through the month of March.
The first open house of the new year is scheduled for Thursday, January 25, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. at Scarboro Community Center. The discussion will focus on the Tuskegee and West Side Residential subareas as well as a subarea south of Oak Ridge Turnpike that includes Hermitage Boulevard and Wiltshire Drive.
In a press release, the City of Oak Ridge said the blueprint is being coordinated by the Community Development Department, under the guidance of the Oak Ridge Planning Commission, as well as other boards, commissions, and city leaders. The department recently finished a midpoint report on the Blueprint, highlighting significant findings and outlining a plan for moving forward. The report is now available online along with a public survey. [Read more…]
All City of Oak Ridge administrative offices will be closed on Monday, December 25, and Tuesday, December 26, to observe Christmas. Other closures and adjustments to city services and facilities because of the holidays are listed below:
The extended closure of the Oak Ridge Civic Center is due to gym floor refinishing, a press release said. While the rest of the building will reopen to the public on Wednesday, December 27, the gymnasium will not reopen until Thursday, December 28. [Read more…]
The April 2017 meeting on the new Oak Ridge Preschool is pictured above at the Scarboro Community Center. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)
The fifth and final public forum-style meeting on the new Oak Ridge Preschool will be at the Scarboro Community Center on Thursday. The meeting will focus on the recreational amenities in Scarboro Park as well as the current budget and estimated costs for the project, a press release said.
The meeting, which will be hosted by city leaders, is scheduled from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, September 7. It’s part of the “ongoing dialogue with the community regarding the new Oak Ridge Preschool,” the press release said.
Four previous meetings have been held this year at Scarboro Community Center to discuss plans for the facility. Those meetings were on March 23, April 20, May 25, and July 11. Those in attendance have been able to see preliminary concepts, ask questions, and provide input on decisions, the press release said.
After the July meeting, when conceptual designs were affirmed by the community, architects began work on construction drawings, the press release said. [Read more…]
Design concepts for the new Oak Ridge Schools Preschool at Scarboro Park, as published in May 2017. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Studio Four Design)
The City of Oak Ridge will host a fourth public forum-style meeting on the Oak Ridge Preschool on July 11. It’s the last step in the conceptual design process, a press release said.
“Once plans are affirmed by the community, architects will begin work on construction drawings,” the press release said.
The preschool will be built in Scarboro Park in central Oak Ridge.
The July 11 meeting is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Scarboro Community Center. [Read more…]
Oak Ridge City Council voted during a special-called meeting on March 27 to select the Scarboro Park site as the location for a new Oak Ridge Preschool. As part of the ongoing dialogue with the community about this future facility, city leaders will host another public forum-style meeting at the Scarboro Community Center on Thursday, May 25, from 6 to 8 p.m., a press release said.
Two previous community meetings were held at the same venue, one on March 23 and another on April 20, to discuss the preschool. Members of the community who attended those meetings were able to see preliminary concepts, ask questions, and provide input on decisions, the press release said.
The City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Schools have been working to choose a site for the new preschool for about two years. Once the building is complete, the preschool will relocate from the school administration building on New York Avenue. Members of a committee formed to recommend possible sites looked at city-owned properties and a multitude of factors that would impact future students, their families, and the community as a whole, the press release said. Scarboro Park, the site ultimately selected by City Council and the Oak Ridge Board of Education, is across the street from the Scarboro Community Center on Carver Avenue. [Read more…]
Plans call for the new Oak Ridge Preschool to be located at Scarboro Park in central Oak Ridge, pictured above on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Oak Ridge City Council voted during a special-called meeting on March 27 to select the Scarboro Park site as the location for a new Oak Ridge Preschool. As part of the ongoing dialogue with the community about this future facility, city leaders will host another public forum-style meeting at the Scarboro Community Center on Thursday, May 25, from 6 to 8 p.m., a press release said.
Two previous community meetings were held at the same venue, one on March 23 and another on April 20, to discuss the preschool. Members of the community who attended those meetings were able to see preliminary concepts, ask questions, and provide input on decisions, the press release said.
The City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Schools have been working to choose a site for the new preschool for about two years. Once the building is complete, the preschool will relocate from the school administration building on New York Avenue. Members of a committee formed to recommend possible sites looked at city-owned properties and a multitude of factors that would impact future students, their families, and the community as a whole, the press release said. Scarboro Park, the site ultimately selected by City Council and the Board of Education, is across the street from the Scarboro Community Center on Carver Avenue. [Read more…]
The new Oak Ridge Preschool is expected to be located at Scarboro Park in central Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
There will be a community meeting in Scarboro on Thursday, April 20, to discuss the plan to build the new Oak Ridge Preschool at Scarboro Park.
There was some opposition from Scarboro residents and former residents, as well as requests for more discussion before a vote, during a special Oak Ridge City Council meeting on March 27. But the City Council voted 5-1 during that meeting to select Scarboro Park for the preschool.
City officials said they want to continue to discuss the project with the community.
The April 20 meeting is like a public forum, and it is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Scarboro Community Center. It’s part of the ongoing dialogue with the community, a city press release said.
A previous community meeting was held at the same venue on March 23 to discuss the site selection for the preschool. [Read more…]
About 100 people turned out for a community meeting on selecting Scarboro Park for the new Oak Ridge Preschool on Thursday, March 23, 2017. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)
Residents and former residents of the Scarboro neighborhood are divided over whether to build the Oak Ridge Preschool at Scarboro Park. While some support the project, others are skeptical of the city’s motives and have signed a petition opposing the site. One resident asked for more time for discussion, at least a few more meetings, during a special meeting on Monday.
But the City Council voted 5-1 to select Scarboro Park as the site for the new Oak Ridge Preschool. That vote had been postponed during a regular City Council meeting two weeks ago in order to allow city and school officials to meet with Scarboro residents this past Thursday.
Council members and other officials have portrayed the preschool project as an opportunity, a $10 million investment in the community. City officials have said the site is centrally located, the land is flat and city-owned, and its crime statistics are a bit better than those at the first preferred site, Elm Grove Park.
They have pointed out that Scarboro Park is only a half-mile from the nearest fire station, and most of the park—about 85 percent of it—would still be a park. They said the park is large enough that the 40,000-square-foot preschool could be expanded and could include 20 classrooms. The park could still include the recreational amenities—basketball courts, tennis courts, and a youth-size baseball field—although they might be moved within the park, officials said. [Read more…]
The new preschool could be located at Scarboro Park in central Oak Ridge, pictured above on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. The Oak Ridge Board of Education selected the site on Monday, Feb. 27, but after hearing from a few residents in March, the Oak Ridge City Council delayed a vote in order to allow a community meeting at the Scarboro Community Center on Thursday, March 23. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
This is a reminder: There is a community meeting on Thursday to discuss the new site for the Oak Ridge Preschool.
Oak Ridge City Council delayed the vote on a new preschool location at its regular meeting on Monday, March 13. Council members wanted to allow time for more community discussion and input. They delayed the vote on the preschool site after hearing from a few residents who had questions about using Scarboro Park.
As part of the effort to allow more community input, a public meeting has been scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Scarboro Community Center.
The City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Schools have been working to choose a site for the new preschool for about two years, a press release said. The preschool would relocate from the School Administration Building on New York Avenue. Members of a committee formed to recommend possible sites looked at city-owned properties and many factors that would affect future students, their families, and the community as a whole, the press release said.
Two locations were ultimately identified as possible sites for the new preschool: Scarboro Park and Elm Grove Park. [Read more…]
Oak Ridge officials will have a community meeting in Scarboro on Thursday, March 23, 2017, to discuss building the Oak Ridge Preschool at Scarboro Park. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Oak Ridge City Council chose to delay the vote on a new preschool location at its regular meeting on Monday in order to allow time for more community discussion and input.
Now, a public meeting to discuss the preschool site has been set for 6 p.m. Thursday, March 23, at the Scarboro Community Center.
“The City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Schools have been working to choose a site for the new preschool for approximately two years,” a press release said. “The preschool would relocate from the School Administration Building on New York Avenue. Members of a committee formed to recommend possible sites looked at city-owned properties and a multitude of factors that would impact future students, their families, and the community as a whole. Two locations were ultimately identified as possibilities: Scarboro Park and Elm Grove Park.”
Scarboro Park is across Carver Avenue from the Scarboro Community Center, which was also considered as an option at one time. The Scarboro Community Center was removed from further consideration due to the challenges of converting the center for active school uses, the press release said. Residents living near Elm Grove Park, a site on East Tennessee Avenue that once housed a school, came out in support of preserving the park. Much of the feedback received about the Scarboro Park site has been very positive and welcoming of the new preschool, the press release said. [Read more…]
