Oak Ridge Today

Musician, software engineer running for school board

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Andy Howe

Andy Howe

Andrew Howe, a musician and software engineer, is running for Oak Ridge Board of Education in the November 4 election.

Howe said some people might recognize him from his performances singing and playing with bands around town, including at community festivals, or on the Oak Ridge Playhouse stage.

“That’s just one side of me though,” Howe said. “By day, I’m normally a software engineer, degree from MIT, but presently I’m taking a hiatus from that career while I pursue other options. I’m married to my best friend, Kat, and our son Maguire is a junior in the high school.”

In a press release, Howe said the family has taken a fairly run-down looking old “A” house on the end of a vine infested cul-de-sac and turned it into their own little country paradise, The 100 Acre Woods. He called it a small performance and gathering space in the woods that has always been open for anyone to make use of.

Howe said he and Kat started a nonprofit this year, Project Sunflower, to get some gardens in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Council considers Clark Center Park, ORHS stoplight, Woodland development

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Clark Center Park Water View

A view of Melton Hill Lake near a boat ramp and between two picnic areas at Clark Center Park in south Oak Ridge.

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday night will consider the start of negotiations over the future of Clark Center Park, a new stoplight on Oak Ridge Turnpike in front of the high school, and changes, including rezonings, that could allow a small commercial development near Aldi grocery on South Illinois Avenue.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. Monday, August 11, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom. See the agenda here.

A resolution to be considered tonight would allow Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson to discuss the future of Clark Center Park with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office. DOE-ORO  has said it wants to transfer the park to the city at no cost as long as it remains a recreational park asset for the public.

The Oak Ridge Office now spends about $300,000 per year to maintain the park. One of the questions for city officials is whether Oak Ridge can afford to take over the 80-acre park, which is in south Oak Ridge on Melton Hill Lake. Also known as Carbide Park, it includes two ball fields, two large picnic areas, a small playground, a boat ramp, restrooms, fishing trails, and a beach. It also includes access to the Gallaher Bend Greenway. [Read more…]

TSAB member solicits community input

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Gene Dunaway, a member of the Oak Ridge Traffic Safety Advisory Board, will solicit public comments on pedestrian safety issues in two meetings next week, a press release said.

The first meeting is from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 8, at the Oak Ridge Senior Center at 728 Emory Valley Road, and the second is  from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 12, also at the Senior Center, the press release said.

Dunaway is interested in hearing public comments about pedestrian safety at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and an entrance to the Oak Ridge High School, the press release said.

“All responses will be shared with other board members at its July meeting,” the release said. “In August Mr. Dunaway will be conducting community meetings dealing with general traffic issues, including the re-installation of red light and speed cameras.”

City Council to have mid-year election in July to fill board, commission vacancies

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The Oak Ridge City Council will have a mid-year election on July 14 to fill vacancies on municipal boards and commissions.

The Oak Ridge City Clerk’s Office started accepting applications on June 2. To be considered, applicants must be Oak Ridge residents and complete an application by noon Friday, June 20, 2014. Late applications will not be considered.

The boards and commissions with vacancies include Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Oak Ridge Housing Authority, Recreation and Parks Advisory Board, Senior Advisory Board, and Traffic Safety Advisory Board.

Visit the city’s website for more information.

More red-light, speeding violations since cameras disabled, Redflex says

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Red-light Camera at Oak Ridge Turnpike and New York Avenue

Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. said an eastbound traffic camera at Oak Ridge Turnpike and New York Avenue/Lafayette Drive had the third-highest rise in detected speeding violations, a 243 percent increase in the number of drivers traveling at 46 mph or more, after the cameras were disabled April 21. Pictured above is the westbound camera.

 

The Arizona company that operated traffic cameras in Oak Ridge for five years said reckless driving has increased significantly, average speeds have risen, and there has been an increase in red-light running and speeding violations since the systems were disabled April 21.

The two biggest increases in speeding violations were in school zones on eastbound and westbound Robertsville Road near Willow Brook Elementary School, camera vendor Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. said in a report that could be discussed during a Traffic Safety Advisory Board meeting on Tuesday. The average number of school zone violations jumped from a little more than two per day in the 14 days before the cameras were disabled to 10 or 11 per day afterward.

A school zone violation occurs when a driver is detected traveling at 21 mph or more in a 15 mph school zone.

Meanwhile, detections of red-light violations, which can lead to the most serious accidents, increased from an average of 20 per day at four locations in the three weeks before the cameras were disabled to up to 28 per day in the fourth week afterward, Redflex said. [Read more…]