As part of the ongoing dialogue with the community about the future Oak Ridge Preschool facility, City leaders will host another public forum-style meeting at the Scarboro Community Center on Thursday, May 25, 2017, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Oak Ridge City Council voted during a special-called meeting on March 27, 2017, to select the Scarboro Park site as the location for a new preschool.

Two previous community meetings were held at the Scarboro Community Center, one on March 23 and another on April 20, to discuss plans for the preschool. Members of the community who attended those meetings were able to see preliminary concepts, ask questions and provide input on decisions.

The City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Schools have been working to choose a site for the new preschool for approximately two years. Once the building is complete, the preschool will relocate from the school administration building on New York Avenue. Members of a committee formed to recommend possible sites looked at city-owned properties and a multitude of factors that would impact future students, their families and the community as a whole. Scarboro Park, the site ultimately selected by City Council and the Board of Education, is across the street from the Scarboro Community Center on Carver Avenue.

Members of City Council and the Oak Ridge Board of Education will be present at the upcoming community meeting, along with City staff members and the Senior Project Manager at Studio Four Design, the architectural firm selected for the project. Citizens will again be able to ask questions and are encouraged to provide suggestions about what they'd like to see with regards to the preschool project and its impact.

Click here to visit our Facebook event page and let us know if you plan to attend!

The Public Works Department and Public Works Employee Relations Committee (PwERC) invite the citizens of Oak Ridge to a Public Works Community Open House and Touch-the-Truck event on Thursday, May 25, 2017. The event will be held in recognition of Public Works Week in the City of Oak Ridge and National Public Works Week (May 21-27). The open house will take place from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Central Services Complex, located at 100 Woodbury Lane.

The purpose is to provide an event at which the community can learn about all the different divisions that make up the Public Works Department. Public Works is much more than just water and sewer services. They are, in short, the people who maintain and improve the systems and services vital to the City's health, safety and comfort. Those systems and public services include, but are not limited to, water distribution, sewer collection, water and wastewater treatment, street, sidewalk, and storm drain repair and maintenance, stormwater management, public building maintenance and management, snow removal, and City fleet maintenance.

The open house will feature fun and educational activities for kids of all ages, including a Touch-the-Truck event that will give everyone the opportunity to see and touch the different types of vehicles and equipment used to keep the City safe and functioning smoothly. Also on the schedule are two local food trucks, Untamed Kitchen and Awad-O-Food, as well as live local music, a bounce house, face painting, give-a-ways, and many other activities.

Long thought of as the silent arm of Public Safety, Public Works will be partnering with the Oak Ridge Police Department and the Oak Ridge Fire Department for this event. Sponsors for Public Works Week and the open house include LDA Engineering, Y-12 Federal Credit Union, Stowers, Awad-O-Food, and Untamed Kitchen.

For more information about this event, contact the Public Works Department at (865) 425-1875.

Click here to visit our Facebook event page for more information!

On Thursday, June 1, 2017, the 21st annual Graduation Celebration event will be held at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. Oak Ridge High School seniors are invited to register for the free party where they can win cash and prizes, while making memories with their classmates in a safe environment.

The event requires nearly 200 volunteers and dozens of spots are still open. Volunteer jobs are available in security, inflatables, thank you notes, casino, food, prizes, and more. Please visit www.graduationcelebration.org to register as a volunteer.

Donations are still being accepted to help make this another successful event. To donate, visit our website listed above, or you can mail a check to: Oak Ridge Graduation Celebration Community Foundation, P.O. Box 6546, Oak Ridge, TN 37831.

For more information about the event, visit www.graduationcelebration.org or contact Matt Reedy at (865) 425-3442 or via email at [email protected].

The Oak Ridge Outdoor Swimming Pool will be open to the public over Memorial Day weekend this year, Saturday, May 27, through Monday, May 29, from noon to 6:00 p.m. each day.

This will be a soft opening over the holiday weekend, with the pool being closed for the three days following Memorial Day, from Tuesday, May 30, to Thursday, June 1. The outdoor pool will then open for normal summer hours starting Friday, June 2, 2017.

The outdoor pool is located at 172 Providence Road. The facility is fed by spring water and considered one of the largest in the nation. Depths range from zero to 13.5 feet. There are 25-meter and 100-meter courses, as well as an offshore island, a shallow water pool with a fountain for younger children, and a large grassy beach area. Food and float rental concessions are also available.  

If you have any questions about the outdoor pool or other aquatics facilities and programs, contact the City of Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department at (865) 425-3450.

The Oak Ridge Police Department joined law enforcement agencies across the nation in celebrating National Police Week (May 14 through May 20).

This year, the Oak Ridge Police Department honored all law enforcement personnel during a Peace Officers Memorial Day Ceremony held in front of the Oak Ridge Municipal Building on Monday, May 15. 

Bishop Richard Stika of the Diocese of Knoxville was the keynote speaker.  Members of all law enforcement agencies in the Anderson and Roane County areas were invited to attend and show their support, along with state and federal law enforcement personnel, local prosecutorial staff, public officials, and members of the community. 

Following the memorial service, certificates and letters of commendation were awarded to Oak Ridge Police Department personnel.

Check out some photos from the event below...

You can view all our pictures from Monday's Peace Officer Memorial and ORPD Awards Ceremony on Facebook... just click here.

The City of Oak Ridge's Community Development Department is continuing work on the Oak Ridge City Blueprint effort - most recently with a discussion focused on the Woodland neighborhood. 

An open house held on Monday, May 15, at Woodland Elementary School brought dozens of residents out to ask questions and share their thoughts. Community Development is busy logging all those responses now for review and possible inclusion in the blueprint.

 

The blueprint is being coordinated by the Community Development Department, with input from the Oak Ridge Planning Commission, as well as other boards, commissions and City leaders. Once finished, it will be a guiding document that provides direction for future growth, development and decision-making. Community Development is planning to host additional meetings as they move forward in order to gain insight and input from other neighborhoods. 

A blueprint kick-off meeting was held in January with more than 500 people in attendance. A summary of the feedback gathered during that meeting is currently available for review on the City of Oak Ridge website.

For more information on the open house event and the Oak Ridge City Blueprint effort, contact the Community Development Department at (865) 425-3531.

The City of Oak Ridge welcomed state and local leaders on the afternoon of Friday, April 28, for a special dedication of the new 8th rowing lane on Melton Hill Lake.

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch kicked off the ceremony at the new 8th lane overlook along Melton Lake Greenway. After brief remarks from state and local leaders thanking those who worked so hard to make this project happen, a large group ceremoniously cut a ribbon for the 8th lane. 

The event was bittersweet, however, due to damage to the course caused by recent storms. Excess rainfall washed debris into the waterway and created an unsafe flow of water for athletes. After extensive conversations with TVA and the U.S. Coast Guard, the Oak Ridge Rowing Association made the decision to cancel a major regatta scheduled for the upcoming weekend. Organizers at the rowing association said athlete safety was their top priority.

Some incredible news followed shortly after the event: Volunteers banded together to help the rowing association clear and re-construct the course. They were able to get everything back in place in time for the next regatta on the schedule.

The 8th rowing lane was made possible by partnerships and financial contributions from the State of Tennessee, City of Oak Ridge, TVA, Oak Ridge Rowing Association, Visit Knoxville, Explore Oak Ridge, and the Oak Ridge Economic Development Initiative. Rowing has an estimated economic impact of more than $2 million per year for the Oak Ridge area.

The Oak Ridge Senior Center will be sponsoring a diabetic roundtable discussion on the fourth Tuesday of each month beginning on Tuesday, May 23, 2017, at 1:00 p.m. Anyone interested in taking part should sign up through the senior center by Monday, May 22.

Diabetes is a serious health issue impacting a large number of Americans, many of them seniors - the age group most often affected by the disease. Although most people have access to a variety of resources, such as health professionals, national associations and online information, there is still a real need for diabetics themselves to gather and share their own knowledge with each other.

Oak Ridge Senior Center participant and 30-year diabetic Jim Harless will be the moderator for the group. Topics of discussion will include tips to deal with blood sugar issues, the glycemic index, exercise, weight loss, and other matters. At each meeting, seniors will have the opportunity to share information from their own lives as well as receive information from others in the group.

Please note that professional medical advice will not be given, but group members will share useful resources like books, blogs, web sites, and newsletters dealing with diabetic issues.

The group is free and open to anyone age 50 and over. If you're interested in participating, be sure to register by May 22 so organizers can get an accurate headcount before the meeting. Call the Oak Ridge Senior Center at (865) 425-3999 to sign up.

The City of Oak Ridge is looking for a Director of Community Development. The position plans and directs all functions of the department, u nder the general direction of the City Manager. The director serves as the City's primary authority on building codes, subdivision regulation, planning and zoning.

Other open positions include: Administrative Assistant for the Oak Ridge Police Department, School Crossing Guard, and Electric Line Technician (Lineman).

To see full job descriptions and get information on how to apply, visit the City's website and click on the "Employment" section at the top of the page to view all current openings.

A new initiative is underway at the Oak Ridge Public Library to encourage seasoned gardeners, beginning gardeners and everyone in between to share and exchange garden seeds.

Gardeners can now check out a packet of garden seeds at the library in much the same way they would check out a book. Seeds are due at the end of the gardening season, when anyone who borrowed seeds from the library is encouraged to bring seeds back that have grown in their garden. Library staff believe the seed library will become a major asset for Oak Ridge. 

"Libraries are centers for sharing resources," Manager of Library Operations Julie Forkner explained. "From lending books to garden seeds, the library encourages people to make the most of the community resources we have by pooling those resources and ensuring that everyone can access them. Garden seeds, just like books, movies and music, are valuable resources. Their benefits multiply the more people use them and the more people share them."

Everyone is welcome to borrow and return seeds to the seed library this gardening season. Participants will also be able to meet other gardeners during the process and share knowledge of plants and gardening at the library.

For more information on this and other programs offered by the Oak Ridge Public Library, contact the main desk at (865) 425-3455.

It's about that time of year again where the flowers are blooming and the grass is growing in East Tennessee. When maintaining your lawn, it is important to make sure you dispose of your leaves and grass clippings properly by either bagging them up or composting the material. 

During the annual leaf pick-up in the fall, you are about to rake leaves into a pile at the curb for Waste Connections to pick up. If you want your leaves picked up any other time of the year, just bag them up and leave out with your weekly trash. 

Please do not dump your leaves and grass clippings down the storm drain... Remember: Nothing but rain down the storm drain! 

Yard debris can easily clog a storm drain and ultimately contribute to excess flooding throughout the City. In addition, excess leaves and grass clippings can cause harm to aquatic life in our streams when they start to decay. It's important to remember that this tip isn't just for the spring and summer months when all the plants are thriving, but whenever yard maintenance is involved. 

If you happen to see a storm drain clogged with debris, trash, or full of overgrown plants, you can either remove the blockage yourself or call the Public Works Department at (865) 425-1875. 

Thank you for helping us keep our storm drains clean and safe!

HEALTHY WATERS HOSTS RAIN BARREL WORKSHOP

Make It, Take It was designed for attendees to be able to walk out of the workshop with the knowledge about how rain barrels function, an understanding of their benefits, and how to install them at home. In addition, they received important stormwater information all homeowners should know in order to be good stewards of our environment! 

 

For those interested in just purchasing a rain barrel, the Water Quality Forum is hosting an Ivy Rain Barrel Sale on Saturday, June 3rd, at the UT Gardens. Thanks to all who came out for this fun and interesting workshop.