Oak Ridge Today

City could consider returning $480,000 state grant for railroad museum

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Mark Watson

Mark Watson

A decade-old state grant to build a railroad museum in west Oak Ridge needs to be used or returned to the state, city officials said Monday.

The long-awaited 5,000-square-foot Southern Appalachia Railway Museum and railroad depot could cost $1.25 million, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson told City Council members during a work session Monday.

But the $480,000 Tennessee Department of Transportation grant and a $120,000 match from the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee would only cover half the cost, city officials said.

“It’s a big hill to climb,” Watson said.

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Gov. Haslam announces $800,000 Jackson Square grant

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Jackson Square Grant Check

Gov. Bill Haslam, fourth from left, joins local residents re-creating a famous ‘War Ends’ photograph in Jackson Square, but this time with an $800,000 state check for parking lots, sidewalks, benches, and bicycle racks.

A rejuvenation of the city’s original town center got a major boost Friday when Gov. Bill Haslam announced a $800,000 grant for parking lot and sidewalk construction in Jackson Square, as well as bicycle racks and benches.

“The Jackson Square project will further Oak Ridge’s efforts to enhance its historic downtown area and provide increased mobility and improved access to small businesses and cultural activities,” Haslam said.

The governor presented a $798,687 symbolic check to Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan during a Friday morning ceremony.

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