THE CITY OF OAK RIDGE
N E W S L E T T E R

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Ready to break ground on Main Street Oak Ridge_
Welcome to Main Street - July 20, 2016

HERE'S WHAT IS HAPPENING AT THE CITY OF OAK RIDGE!
WELCOME TO MAIN STREET
What a kickoff! A massive crowd filled the parking lot between Belk, JCPenney and Tinseltown on July 20th to help the City break ground on the Main Street Oak Ridge project. 

The new mixed-use development has been in the works for a long time. The old Oak Ridge Mall is being  demolished to make room for new businesses, several of which are already confirmed. Those include Dick's Sporting Goods,  Electronic Express, Maurice's, PetSmart, Rack Room Shoes, Rue 21, T.J. Maxx, and Ulta. A crew of city leaders and Main Street supporters (seen above) grabbed golden shovels to officially break ground. After that, City Coucilman Chuck Hope jumped into an excavator to knock down the very first wall. 

City Councilman Chuck Hope uses excavator to knock down wall
The first wall comes down


Chuck Hope celebrates a job well done

It was a hot day, but we hope everyone enjoyed the ceremony. We also raised more than $300 for the Blankenship Field renovation project. Donations were accepted at the end of the groundbreaking. Those giving money were allowed to spray paint messages on part of the old mall. 

After donating to Blankenship Field_s revitalization project_ people spray paint messages on a wall set to be torn down in the coming weeks
Graffiti for a good cause

With phase one of Main Street now underway, we'll be sure to keep you posted on all the new developments. There will be plenty more to come...

Demolition work just one week after the Welcome to Main Street groundbreaking (July 27)
NEW: OAK RIDGE TO RECEIVE BLIGHT ELIMINATION FUNDING FROM THDA 

The City of Oak Ridge is getting even more help for much-needed housing upgrades thanks to the Tennessee Housing Development Agency's Blight Elimination Program (BEP).
THDA Executive Director Ralph Perrey explains how Oak Ridge will benefit from blight elimination funding it is now eligible to receive
THDA announces Oak Ridge is eligible for 
blight elimination funding (July 11)
























Last month, the City received  a $500,000 HOME Program grant from  THDA that will be used to renovate over 60 single-family  homes located in the city. Now that the BEP program has been bumped up from $5.5 million to $10 million, Oak Ridge and Anderson County are also eligible to receive some of the new funds.

The HOME program is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and  administered in part in Tennessee by THDA.

The HOME grant funding will allow Oak Ridge to replace electrical wiring systems, wall insulation and install double-paned windows for the targeted homes, which date back to the World War II era and the city's role in the Manhattan Project. 

The city's efforts are being carried out in conjunction with the Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient (MORE2) project, which is performing energy retrofits for 229 homes in the designated neighborhoods.
 52 YEARS OF SERVICE: PENNY SISSOM RETIRES
A long-time employee with the City of Oak Ridge is celebrating her retirement after 52 years of service. Penelope "Penny" Sissom worked here longer than any other City employee and was the first female Personnel Director in the state of Tennessee. She officially retired from that position on July 15th. The City declared it "Penelope H. Sissom Day" in her honor.
Penny Sissom (pictured center in white) at the City Managers' Institute in 1968

CITY TO HOST FIRST PUPPY POOL PARTY
City's outdoor swimming pool
The City of Oak Ridge Outdoor Swimming Pool will close Sunday, July 31st, 2016, but will reopen for two special events. There will be a final open swim on Saturday, August 6th, from 10am-7pm.

On Sunday, August 7th, from 5pm-7pm, the outdoor pool will also host its very first Puppy Pool Party! All dogs must be non-aggressive and kept on leashes. Pet owners must also have proof of current vaccinations. There is a fee of $3 per dog to participate or each owner may bring a donation of canned or dry dog food to support the City of Oak Ridge Animal Shelter. 

Pet Supplies Plus of Oak Ridge is helping sponsor the event. For more information or a list of all rules, please call 865-425-3450 or email [email protected].
FARMERS' MARKET IN HISTORIC JACKSON SQUARE  
Want some fresh, locally grown produce  for your next family dinner?  The Oak Ridge 
Farmers' Market is open all summer long  on Wednesdays (3pm-6pm) and Saturdays  (8am-noon). There's a little bit of everything:  honey, strawberries, tomatoes, peaches, corn,  and more. 

Stop by during your next trip to Historic 
Jackson Square and see what's available! Be sure to like them on Facebook, too! 

Blackberries from a local grower
STAY SAFE: TEXT, PHONE & EMAIL ALERTS
The City of Oak Ridge is dedicated to keeping the community informed by posting updates on social media about any incident that could impact people in the area. Did you know you can also get alerts from the Oak Ridge Police Department on the go, straight to your smartphone using Nixle

To sign up for mobile alerts, just text "37830" to 888-777

You can also go online here and click on the green "sign up" button to get alerts via email. ORPD encourages everyone to use this valuable and free service.

The Oak Ridge Fire Department  subscribes to the 
CodeRed Emergency Notification System . It's  used by the City to notify people and businesses about an emergency, extended power outage or other serious event.   In addition to the community notification, the system is able to let users know about severe weather, especially Tornado Warnings.  You can read more about  CodeRed online , then sign up by clicking on the  website  at the bottom of the article.

 
BACK TO SCHOOL: THINGS TO KNOW

August 1st is just days away, so It's time for students to head back to class for the 2016-2017 school year. Hours may differ a little during the first week. Here's an overview for parents...


Kindergarten Grades 1-4 Grades 5-8 Grades 9-12
Monday, August 1
8:30AM-1:30PM
(1/3 Group)
8:30AM-1:30PM 7:40AM-12:45PM 7:50AM-1:49PM
Tuesday, August 2
8:30AM-1:30PM
(1/3 Group)
8:30AM-1:30PM 7:40AM-12:45PM 7:50AM-3:06PM
Wednesday, August 3
8:30AM-1:30PM
(1/3 Group)
8:30AM-1:30PM 7:40AM-12:45PM 7:50AM-1:49PM
Thursday, August 4

No
Attendance

8:30AM-3:30PM 7:40AM-2:45PM 7:50AM-3:06PM
Friday, August 5
8:30AM-3:30PM

8:30AM-3:30PM 7:40AM-2:45PM 7:50AM-3:06PM

For a look at regular school hours for the rest of the year, you can go to the Oak Ridge Schools website.

NIGHT GOLF AT CENTENNIAL GOLF COURSE

NIGHT GOLF at Centennial Golf Course
  • Friday, August 12th
  • Friday, September 9th
9 Hole walking Night Golf event

$40 per Golfer

Includes Green Fee, 1 Glow Ball and 2 Drink Tickets

Register in the Golf Shop or Call 865.483.2291

Visit http://www.centennialgc.com/ for more information.



200 South Tulane Ave
Oak Ridge, TN 37830