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Oak Ridge could set up committee to celebrate its 75th anniversary

Posted at 3:34 pm July 8, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Y-12 Calutron Girls

Women enriching uranium in calutrons at Y-12 as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. The 75th anniversary of the city that became Oak Ridge and still includes Y-12 is Sept. 19, 2017. (Photo by Ed Westcott)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider setting up a committee to celebrate the city’s 75th anniversary.

Oak Ridge’s birthday has been recognized on September 19. That’s because the city that is now Oak Ridge was picked for the top-secret Manhattan Project on September 19, 1942, almost 75 years ago. That was the day that General Leslie Groves approved the acquisition of 59,000 acres of land along the Clinch River for what soon became the Manhattan Project, a federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs, before Germany could. Oak Ridge was then 90 square miles of East Tennessee farmland. It was the first site for Manhattan Project facilities.

By the time President Franklin Delano Roosevelt authorized the Manhattan Project on December 28, 1942, work on the East Tennessee site where the first production facilities were to be built was already under way.

Oak Ridge became the home of two uranium enrichment plants (K-25 and Y-12), a liquid thermal diffusion plant (S-50), and a pilot plutonium production reactor (X-10 Graphite Reactor). Groves approved Oak Ridge as the site for the pilot plutonium plant and the uranium enrichment plant in 1942. Manhattan Project engineers had to quickly build a town to accommodate 30,000 workers—as well as build the enormously complex plants. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge Tagged With: 75th anniversary, American Museum of Science and Energy, Atomic Heritage Foundation, Bill Wilcox, calutrons, Celebrate Oak Ridge, Children's Museum of Oak Ridge, Clinton Engineer Works, Explore Oak Ridge, first atomic bombs, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jackson Square, K-25, Leslie Groves, liquid thermal diffusion, Manhattan Project, Mark Watson, Mick Wiest, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association, pilot plutonium production, Ray Smith, S-50, Site X, steering committee, Tom Beehan, uranium enrichment, Warren Gooch, World War II, X-10 Graphite Reactor, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex

Council approves pedestrian safety projects, Chamber contract

Posted at 12:55 am August 28, 2013
By John Huotari 11 Comments

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…]

Filed Under: Business, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Anne Garcia Garland, Broadway Avenue, Chuck Hope, contract, enhancement grant, farmer's market, Jackson Square, Janice McGinnis, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Economic Development Initiative, Oak Ridge Turnpike, parking lot, pedestrians, red light camera money, steering committee, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Trina Baughn

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

Posted at 8:41 am April 25, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Guest Columns 3 Comments

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…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns Tagged With: agreement, business development, businesses, City Council, economic development, members, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Oak Ridge Economic Partnership, Parker Hardy, partnership, steering committee, Stephen Whitson

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Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

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