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

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HERE'S WHAT IS HAPPENING AT THE CITY OF OAK RIDGE!
REMINDER: 50K TREE DAY THIS SATURDAY

The City of Oak Ridge's Healthy Waters Program is seeking volunteers to assist with the 50K Tree Day planting event on Saturday, February 27th from 11 a.m. until 12 p.m. 

The location is 299 Old Edgemoor Road, across the street from Centennial Golf Course.
 
50K Tree Day is a state-wide effort to plant 50,000 native trees in one hour throughout the State of Tennessee. 

Please help us better our community and environment by volunteering!

To sign up, please email or call Stephanie Carlson at scarlson@oakridgetn.gov or (865) 805-4678.
WINDOW TO INDONESIA
Bruce Applegate Jr., Assistant to the City Manager, has been selected to travel to Jakarta and Tangerang, Indonesia in a trip sponsored by the  International City/County Management Association's Professional Fellows Exchange Program . He was one of 50 professionals chosen to participate in the program.

In October 2015, Iis Taqia and Aliya Zahir of Indonesia visited the City of Oak Ridge and observed the operations of a small municipal government. 

Bruce will spend a week in each city studying how the Indonesian government implements infrastructure projects for a city of 9 million residents. He will also examine how Indonesia's 98 city mayors work together to identify common issues faced by municipalities. 

Follow Bruce's journey on twitter @mORe2OakRidge with the #WINDOW2INDO  https://twitter.com/more2oakridge

Or follow his blog posts at the ICMA website.

Save travels, Bruce!




HEALTHY WATERS PROGRAM
The Healthy Waters Program is an outreach program within the Stormwater Division of the City of Oak Ridge Public Works Department. The program seeks to educate the community on how to enhance the quality of our local waterways, address water quantity issues in our city and enrich natural habitat in our urban area.

Recently the Healthy Waters Program installed a rain garden at Broadway and Towne Road. Rain gardens help stormwater infiltrate the soil rather than collecting runoff pollution and sediment that can pollute  our waterways.

The Healthy Waters Program is coordinated by Stephanie Carlson. Reach Stephanie at scarlson@oakridgetn.gov or (865) 805-4678 for more information.
ORFD IMPLEMENTS WELLNESS GRANT

Every year approximately 100 firefighters die in the line of duty.  More than 50% of these deaths are heart attacks while on a fire scene or shortly after leaving an incident. 

The Oak Ridge Fire Department is taking proactive measures to assist their firefighters in defying these morbid statistics. In 2014, ORFD applied for and was awarded the Assistance to Firefighter Grant (AFG) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The grant amount totaled more than $ 170,000 to purchase exercise equipment, professional training sessions and nutrition lessons as a part of the department's wellness program.

In addition to the exercise equipment and training, the department was able to purchase the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) program and equipment. 

The CPAT is a nationally standardized test for firefighter applicants that was developed by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and approved by the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the US Department of Justice. The program tests fire fighter candidates' physical ability to become a firefighter. 
WELCOME VONDA WOOTEN, THE NEW AQUATICS MANAGER
Vonda Wooten has been involved in aquatics for most of her life. Born and raised in Manchester, Tennessee, she began as a lifeguard then swim instructor and later became the Aquatics Director for Manchester Parks and Recreation where she stayed for 13 years. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Middle Tennessee State University and holds several Red Cross certifications. Vonda also is an AEA water aerobics and water arthritis instructor. She is certified as a rescue diver and enjoys volunteering at the Chattanooga Tennessee Aquarium.

Looking for a great school system and a change of scenery, Vonda, her husband, and three children decided to move to the city of  Oak Ridge and join the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks family as the new  Aquatics Manager . Vonda would like to provide new water classes and programs for all ages to expand the use of our pools. She is looking forward to the adventures and challenges that come with her new position.
VALENTINE'S DAY ICE CREAM SOCIAL
Love was in the air at the Oak Ridge Senior Center on February 11, 2016 at our annual Valentine's Ice Cream Social.  The Golden Eagles, a group started by students from our free guitar lesson program, played romantic music for attendees.

The Senior Center staff, with help from Walgreen's and Jeff Bales of Clear Captions, served ice cream sundaes and other sweet treats to 53 senior attendees as well. A wonderful time was had by all. 
ZUMBA GOLD CLASS
Come join us at the  Oak Ridge Senior Center  for our  Zumba Gold class . What is Zumba Gold you might ask? Our instructor,  Linda Miller , says the main thing to remember is that "Zumba Gold is not Zumba old!" Although, just to be clear, Zumba is an aerobic excise class with moves and music pulled from Latin dances such as the tango, salsa, mambo and cha-cha-cha. The gold level of the class is set for those who are 50 or older or may need a slightly slower pace than the regular Zumba class. 

Classes are held at the Oak Ridge Senior Center on 
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. The cost is  $4 per class . However, the first class is free so come out and give it try with no risk! The Senior Center is open to those who are 50 and older but a person can bring a guest under age 50 if he or she is attending the same activity as the senior participant. 


200 South Tulane Ave
Oak Ridge, TN 37830