Oak Ridge Today

General Assembly approves bill that would establish CROET as ETTP manager

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The East Tennessee Technology Park, now known as Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge, is pictured above in this aerial photo from 2015. The large building that extends from left to right at left-center is the former K-27 Building, where demolition work was completed in August 2016. (Photo courtesy CROET)

The East Tennessee Technology Park, now known as Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge, is pictured above in this aerial photo from 2015. The large building that extends from left to right at left-center is the former K-27 Building, where demolition work was completed in August 2016. (Photo courtesy CROET)

 

The Tennessee General Assembly has approved legislation that would establish the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, or CROET, as the manager of the 1,300-acre East Tennessee Technology Park in west Oak Ridge, a press release said.

The legislation was sponsored by Tennessee Senator Ken Yager and Representative Kent Calfee, both Kingston Republicans. It has been sent to Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam for his signature.

East Tennessee Technology Park, or ETTP, is also known as Heritage Center and the former K-25 site. It once housed the K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant, which was built during World War II as part of the Manhattan Project. That was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons, before Germany could.

The ETTP site, once used to enrich uranium, is slowly being cleaned up. K-25 operations ended in 1985, and the site was permanently shut down in 1987. Now, it is being slowly converted into a large industrial park. Proponents hope it will become one of East Tennessee’s prime locations for new industry, the press release said.

CROET President Lawrence Young said the state legislation “is the latest step in efforts by the Department of Energy and CROET to reindustrialize the former K-25 site and help diversify the region’s economy.” [Read more…]

Breakfast with the Legislators is Monday

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The monthly Breakfast with the Legislators is Monday. It’s scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Monday, April 24, 2017, in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center. Pictured above from left during a Breakfast with the Legislators on Monday, April 25, 2016, are Sen. Randy McNally, Rep. John Ragan, and Rep. Kent Calfee. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The monthly Breakfast with the Legislators is Monday. It’s scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Monday, April 24, in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center, which is located at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Breakfast with the Legislators is organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. A light continental breakfast is provided at no charge, and the public is encouraged to attend.

Tennessee senators Ken Yager and Randy McNally and representatives John Ragan and Kent Calfee have been invited to bring everyone up to date on what’s happening in the state legislature, the Tennessee General Assembly, the press release said. [Read more…]

Breakfast with Legislators is Monday

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The next Breakfast with the Legislators is at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on Monday, March 27, 2017. Pictured above in a breakfast in 2016 are Sen. Randy McNally (now lieutenant governor), Rep. John Ragan, and Rep. Kent Calfee. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The next Breakfast with the Legislators is Monday morning at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. The breakfast is scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Monday, March 27, in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

The Civic Center is at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike. A light continental breakfast will be provided at no charge. The public is encouraged to attend, a press release said.

Senators Ken Yager and Randy McNally, who is now lieutenant governor, and representatives John Ragan and Kent Calfee have been invited to bring everyone up to date on what’s happening in the Tennessee General Assembly, the press release said. Members of the audience may ask questions and give opinions. [Read more…]

Breakfast with the Legislators is Monday

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Pictured above at a Breakfast with the Legislators on Monday, April 25, 2016, are, from left, Tennessee Sen. Randy McNally, Rep. John Ragan, and Rep. Kent Calfee. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Breakfast with the Legislators is Monday. It’s scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Monday, February 27, in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center, which is located at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Breakfast with the Legislators is organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. A light continental breakfast is provided at no charge, and the public is encouraged to attend.

Senators Ken Yager and Randy McNally and representatives John Ragan and Kent Calfee have been invited to bring everyone up to date on what’s happening in the Tennessee Legislature, a press release said. Members of the audience may ask questions and give opinions. [Read more…]

Council to consider opposing use of public funds for private schools unless certain conditions met

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The Oak Ridge City Council is pictured above in December 2016. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider opposing the use of public funds for private schools unless certain conditions are met.

The Oak Ridge Board of Education has already taken a position. In November 2016, the Board of Education said it opposed the taking of funds from public education in any Tennessee community unless the local school board agrees, there is statutory assurance that schools receiving the funds will comply with the same curriculum and testing standards required of public schools, and until the Basic Education Program is “adequately funded” by the Tennessee General Assembly.

There has been increased discussion of the potential use of school vouchers, at least in part because of the nomination and confirmation of Betsy DeVos as the new U.S. education secretary.

In a memo to City Council members, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said the Tennessee General Assembly has debated the merits of implementing a school voucher system for many years as a way to provide quality education for all students in the state.

“This system would allow a freedom of choice for all students to choose to leave their geographical-centered public school to another school, taking the state-allocated funds for that public school system to the new system, be it public or private,” Watson said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge school board to consider opposing use of public funds for private schools

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The Oak Ridge school board on Monday will consider opposing the use of public funds for private schools.

A resolution to be considered by the Oak Ridge Board of Education “strongly opposes” taking funds from public education in any community in the state without agreement from a local school board, without a legal guarantee that the schools receiving the funds will comply with the same curriculum and testing standards required of public schools, and until the state’s Basic Education Program, or BEP, is fully funded by the Tennessee General Assembly.

The resolution says the Tennessee General Assembly, the state’s legislature, will consider legislation in 2017 that would use public funds to pay tuition costs for students to attend private, religious, and non-religious schools.

The General Assembly and Tennessee State Board of Education have adopted high standards for student and teacher performance in public schools, but private schools are not held to the same accountability standards as public schools with regard to academic performance or student access, the resolution says. [Read more…]

Republicans nominate McNally for lieutenant governor

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Randy McNally

Randy McNally

Tennessee Senate Republicans on Thursday voted unanimously to nominate Senator Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican, to the top leadership post—lieutenant governor and speaker of the Senate.

Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey, a Blountville Republican, will continue to hold the position until the Tennessee General Assembly convenes on January 10, when the full Senate will formally vote on his successor.

The nomination of McNally of Thursday was part of the Senate Majority Caucus leadership elections in Nashville on Thursday. The elections were for leaders in the 110th General Assembly. [Read more…]

Photo: Officials celebrate legislation allowing ATVs on US 25W in Rocky Top

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Rocky Top Ribbon-Cutting for ATVs July 1 2016

Officials in Rocky Top and Anderson County, along with Tennessee legislators, had a ribbon-cutting to celebrate legislation that allows all-terrain vehicles to ride on Highway 25W starting Friday, July 1, 2016. (Photo by Jerry Creasey)

 

Officials in Rocky Top and Anderson County and Tennessee legislators had a ribbon-cutting on Friday, July 1, to celebrate legislation that allows all-terrain vehicles to ride on Highway 25W, or US 25W, starting this month.

The celebration included officials from the City of Rocky Top, Rocky Top Chamber of Commerce, and Anderson County Tourism Council.

The Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation to amend state law to allow for all-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, to ride on Highway 25W in Rocky Top from the intersection of Colonial Lane to the intersection at Jacksboro Avenue beginning July 1, a press release said.

“Current legislation (before July 1) allows for ATVs to be operated on State Route 116 from Beech Grove to Highway 25,” said Mike Lovely, Rocky Top mayor. “This amendment extends the riding area and allows riders from Windrock Park to access the commerce area of Rocky Top.” [Read more…]

Officials to celebrate legislation allowing ATVs on Highway 25W in Rocky Top

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City of Rocky Top Seal

Officials in Rocky Top and Anderson County will have a ribbon-cutting on Friday, July 1, to celebrate recent legislation that allows all-terrain vehicles to ride on Highway 25W starting this summer.

The celebration will include officials from the City of Rocky Top, Rocky Top Chamber of Commerce, and Anderson County Tourism Council. The ribbon-cutting is scheduled at 10 a.m. Friday, July 1, at the “Welcome to Rocky Top City” sign located between the southbound exit ramp of Exit 129 off of Interstate 75 and the Colonial Road in front of KFC and Cracker Barrel.

The Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation to amend current law that would allow for all-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, to ride on Highway 25W in Rocky Top from the intersection of Colonial Lane to the intersection at Jacksboro Avenue beginning July 1, a press release said.

“Current legislation allows for ATVs to be operated on State Route 116 from Beech Grove to Highway 25,” said Mike Lovely, Rocky Top mayor. “This amendment extends the riding area and allows riders from Windrock Park to access the commerce area of Rocky Top.” [Read more…]

Area lawmakers announce $72,190 in arts grants in Anderson County

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Tennessee lawmakers announced this month that six arts grants worth a total of $73,010 have been awarded to five organizations in Anderson County.

The grants from the Tennessee Arts Commission include two awards with a combined total of $18,600 for the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge in the categories of Arts Education-Community Learning and Partnership Support.

Other grants include $23,110 to the Oak Ridge Community Playhouse in the category of Partnership Support, $16,900 to the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association in the category of Partnership Support, $11,620 to the Oak Ridge Community Art Center in the category of Partnership Support, and $2,780 to the Tennessee Mountain Writers in the category of Art Project Support. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge could lose $500K-$700K per year under Hall tax repeal

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The reduction and repeal of the Hall income tax was among the issues discussed during a Breakfast with the Legislators on Monday, April 25, 2016. Pictured above from left are Sen. Randy McNally, Rep. John Ragan, and Rep. Kent Calfee. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:30 p.m.

Oak Ridge could lose $500,000-$700,000 per year in revenues if the repeal of the Hall income tax is approved, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said last week.

If Governor Bill Haslam signs a bill that the state legislature passed Friday, the tax, which was enacted in 1929, would be eliminated in the 2022 tax year. Haslam has not said whether he will the sign the bill into law or veto it.

If it becomes law, the bill could cost Oak Ridge about $119,000 in the fiscal year that starts July 1, or about 1.25 cents on the property tax rate, Mayor Warren Gooch said Saturday. The legislation would reduce the Hall income tax on stock and dividend income from 6 percent to 5 percent in the 2016 tax year.

The tax would be reduced by 1 percent per year after that until it is eliminated by 2022.

The Hall income tax generated total revenue of $303.4 million in Tennessee in fiscal year 2014-15, and $105.5 million went to cities and counties, with the rest going to the state.

On Thursday, Watson said the amount dispersed to Oak Ridge varies between about $500,000 to $700,000 per year. State data shows Oak Ridge collected about $708,000 in 2015. [Read more…]

Next breakfast with legislators is Monday; community invited

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This year’s next Breakfast with the Legislators is Monday.

It’s organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, and it’s scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Monday, February 22, in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center, which is located at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Senators Ken Yager and Randy McNally and representatives John Ragan and Kent Calfee have been invited to give updates on what’s happening in the Tennessee General Assembly during the breakfast. Members of the audience can ask questions and give opinions. A light continental breakfast is provided at no charge. The public is encouraged to attend. [Read more…]