Anderson County has received a $50,000 state tourism grant.
The grant was one of 29 announced Friday by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd. The grants, called Tourism Enhancement Grants, total more than $1 million.
The grants will help with tourism infrastructure, a press release said. [Read more…]
Officials and referees used Oak Ridge Rowing Association boats to monitor the races on the seven-lane course at the 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The Oak Ridge City Council approved a $548,350 contract to add an eighth lane to the city’s rowing course in a 6-0 vote during a brief special meeting Tuesday.
The contract will be awarded to First Place Finish Incorporated. The work will include a precast concrete block retaining wall and associated dredging and site work.
The six Council members who were present voted “yes.” Council member Trina Baughn was absent.
More details about the project are included in this special meeting agenda.
Funding for the eighth lane project comes from several sources, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said in a September 2 memo to City Council. The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development has allocated $250,000 for the project. The city’s Capital Improvements Program, or CIP, has budgeted $585,000 for the project, with the city’s share being $185,000.
Other sources of funding include: [Read more…]
Officials and referees used Oak Ridge Rowing Association boats to monitor the races on the seven-lane course at the 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
On Tuesday, the Oak Ridge City Council will consider a $548,350 contract to add an eighth lane to the city’s rowing course on the Clinch River.
Council will consider the contract, which would be awarded to First Place Finish Incorporated, at 1 p.m. Tuesday, September 6, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom.
The work would include a precast concrete block retaining wall and associated dredging and site work.
Funding for the project comes from several sources, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said in a September 2 memo to City Council. The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development has allocated $250,000 for the project. The city’s Capital Improvements Program, or CIP, has budgeted $585,000 for the project, with the city’s share being $185,000.
Other sources of funding include: [Read more…]
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam is pictured above during a visit by President Barack Obama at Pellissippi State Community College on Friday, January 9. (File photo by Rob Welton)
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd recently announced that 29 communities will receive close to $1 million in Tourism Enhancement Grants to assist communities with tourism infrastructure assets. Anderson County received a $40,000 grant.
“We want to congratulate all 29 communities on receiving Tourism Enhancement Grants,†Haslam said in a press release. “These grants showcase how great the partnership is between tourist development and economic development. With the support of these grants, each community will be better equipped to succeed in our state, and I look forward to seeing these Tennessee communities thrive.â€
The grants assist counties and cities in improving local assets to increase the economic impact of tourism.
“I am pleased to announce these 29 communities that have been awarded the Tourism Enhancement Grant,†Boyd said. “It is always exciting when communities choose to invest in economic development initiatives to grow and succeed in our state. Tourism development is economic development, and with the assistance of the Tourism Enhancement Grant and our partnership with Commissioner Kevin Triplett and the Department of Tourist Development, each community will be able to invest in their assets and grow their local economy.†[Read more…]
Twelve of the nation’s best NCAA Division I women’s rowing teams competed this month in the Cardinal Invitational Regatta in Oak Ridge. Pictured above, a West Virginia University team competes at Oak Ridge Marina on Saturday, March 12, 2016. The eighth lane would require some work along the Melton Lake Drive side of the course, which is on the right side of this picture. (Photo by Julio Culiat)
Note: This story was last updated at 5:30 p.m.
An eighth lane at the seven-lane Oak Ridge rowing course could cost more than $500,000 and up to about $1.2 million, officials said Tuesday.
The eighth lane has been on the wish list of rowers and many local officials for years. They say it would allow the Oak Ridge Rowing Association to compete for bigger races and international regattas, which require an eighth lane. It would also keep the site a top-tier rowing venue and provide more on-water capacity, allowing more competitors in events. It’s also expected to significantly increase the economic impact of rowing races, or regattas.
Officials announced a $250,000 state grant for the eighth lane in April 2015.
In August, the city hired Barge, Waggoner, Sumner, and Cannon Inc. for design and survey work, among other tasks.
A March 1 memo from BWSC to Jon Hetrick, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks director, outlines five construction options with various estimates of probable costs ranging between $543,771 and $1,162,444. The five estimated construction costs include a 20 percent contingency. All five options would include a retaining wall and earthwork, which would include excavation and dredging. [Read more…]
Governor Bill Haslam is pictured above during a visit by President Barack Obama at Pellissippi State Community College on Friday, January 9. (File photo by Rob Welton)
Tourists spent a total of $115.77 million in Anderson County in 2014, state officials announced Tuesday. That was an increase of 3.7 percent compared to 2013.
The spending generated a total of $6.72 million in state and $2.47 million in local tax revenues, increases of 4.7 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively. A total of 905 Anderson Countians are employed in tourism-related fields.
State officials also said that tourism’s direct domestic and international travel expenditures reached $17.7 billion in 2014, up 6.3 percent, and an all-time high for the state.
The record-breaking numbers were announced in Nashville on Tuesday by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Commissioner Kevin Triplett of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. [Read more…]
Anderson, Carter, Sumner, and Unicoi counties align with 15 established communitiesÂ
NASHVILLE—Tennessee Department of Tourist Development Commissioner Kevin Triplett announced last week that Anderson, Carter, Sumner, and Unicoi counties have been added to Retire Tennessee, the state’s retiree recruitment marketing program. That brings the total number of active Retire Tennessee counties to 19, a press release said.
“It’s great to officially add four new counties to this important state program,†Triplett said. “Tennessee has much to offer people making retirement decisions based on quality of life and cost of living. Our state has the lowest cost of living in the Southeast and second lowest in the nation, no state income tax, and low property tax. Add to that, the state’s breathtaking scenic beauty and unparalleled hospitality, and it’s only natural Tennessee would rank high among the population relocating after retirement.â€
The four counties join Cumberland, Franklin, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hardin, Jefferson, Loudon, Maury, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Robertson, Sullivan, Warren, and White counties as Retire Tennessee counties. Now in its ninth year, Retire Tennessee inspired more than 10,000 inquiries from potential retirees last year. Tennessee is one of only four states with retiree recruitment as a formal program and continues to gain momentum as a potential retirement destination for more than 78 million baby boomers. [Read more…]
Lee Waddell Curtis
The last in a series of four community meetings on the American Museum of Science and Energy will feature a state heritage tourism expert.
Lee Waddell Curtis, director of program development and legislative liaison for the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, will discuss the growth and significance of heritage tourism in Tennessee during a Thursday evening meeting at AMSE.
The community meetings have been sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge and the American Museum of Science and Energy Foundation. They are designed to gather input on the future of AMSE operations.
A press release said Curtis has an extensive background in cultural and heritage tourism, and her responsibilities include overseeing and developing the Tennessee Civil War Trails program and serving as the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development’s heritage tourism contact. In addition, she represents the department on several national and statewide organizations, and served as a board member of the state’s Sesquicentennial Commission. [Read more…]
Alan Lowe
The director of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas will be featured in a community meeting in October on the future of the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge.
During that Thursday, October 9 meeting, Alan Lowe will discuss the process of developing and managing facilities that function as both research libraries and historical museum attractions, a press release said.
The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is located inside the George W. Bush Presidential Center on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. In his role as director, Lowe oversees millions of presidential records as well as exhibits related to the important issues and events of the Bush Administration, a press release said. [Read more…]
Travel writers take a break at the Wall of Flags at ORNL that features flags for all home countries of current employees. Pictured left to right, front row, are Tori Cuddy, Lisa Sonne, Scott Cochran, Tricia Szulewski, and Clement Salvadori; and, second row, Nicole Elliott and Wayne Newton. (Photos courtesy ORCVB)
North American journalists experience adventure in America’s Secret City
Travel writers from across North America were in Oak Ridge on Thursday, researching interesting stories to help promote tourism to the area. With a focus on outdoor adventure and heritage tourism, the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development partnered with the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, along with surrounding tourism organizations, to host the group.
The team of 17 journalists spent the first day of spring with local experts in heritage tourism and outdoor recreation. Each writer had the opportunity to ask many questions while experiencing both the natural beauty of Oak Ridge and the importance the city plays in scientific and technological discovery. Due to the excellent presentations given at each of the stops on the tour, all journalists left with a newfound love and appreciation for the exciting tourism opportunities Oak Ridge has to offer.
“Working with our partners in the capital and around East Tennessee helps Oak Ridge leverage our exposure in larger markets and reach out to broader audiences,†said Katy Brown, executive director of the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We rely heavily on our tourism partners in Oak Ridge as we roll out the red carpet for these visiting writers.†[Read more…]
The Tennessee Department of Transportation has recently installed signs for a new “top secret” 465-mile, self-guided driving trail that stops in Oak Ridge.
The brown signs were erected to direct visitors and curious local travelers along this important tourism route, a state press release said. They lead travelers to picturesque views in the Upper Cumberland and the “inside scoop on the state’s biggest secret.”
The Top Secret trail has 111 stops within Knox, Anderson, Campbell, Overton, Fentress, Morgan, Scott, Clay, Roane, and Pickett counties, giving visitors extensive history, culture, music, and cuisine experiences. The trail is part of the 16 Discover Tennessee Trails and Byways, an initiative by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, connecting Tennessee’s 95 counties to encourage guests to travel “off the beaten path†and to explore treasures of the state.
“Start the trip off at the site of the 1982 World’s Fair at World’s Fair Park, home to the world-famous Sunsphere, one of the only two remaining original fair structures,” the press release said. “Travel through the Upper Cumberland region, where guests can find out why Oak Ridge is considered Tennessee’s ‘secret city,’ the smallest library in the United States in Coalfield, and Tanners Café, Sundries & Antiques, housed in a 1906 bank that still has the original vault. Learn the history and culture of the region by stopping off at Old Union Meeting House, which is one of the oldest in the country and the Museum of Scott County, the only one of its kind created and curated by high school students. [Read more…]
Lee Curtis
A Tennessee tourism official will be the featured speaker at a Thursday night meeting of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association.
Lee Curtis is program development director of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, where she has worked since 1990, a press release said.
It said Curtis’ responsibilities include overseeing and developing the Tennessee Civil War Trails program and serving as the department’s heritage tourism contact. On Thursday, she will discuss the Civil War Trail Marker program in Oak Ridge, the press release said. [Read more…]
