DOE Transfers Land to Oak Ridge as Community Focuses on Future Economic Development

 

On December 30, 2016, U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, Congressman Chuck Fleischmann and Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch formalized an agreement to transfer the Department of Energy's (DOE) American Museum of Science and Energy (AMSE) building, along with its 17.12-acres, to the City of Oak Ridge. In exchange, DOE will receive space from the City in order to continue its public education and outreach efforts. These educational efforts are focused on recognizing the long-standing partnership between the Department and the City of Oak Ridge.

 

"From the Manhattan Project of World War II to the cutting-edge materials research of today, Oak Ridge has long played a vital role in American science and security," said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. "This agreement will ensure that Oak Ridge's history is preserved and shared while providing the city a new opportunity to create jobs and strengthen the local economy."

From left to right: Council members Jim Dodson, Kelly Callison and Ellen Smith, Congressman Chuck Fleischmann, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, Council member Chuck Hope, Mayor Warren Gooch, City Manager Mark Watson, and Council member Hans Vogel. Photo taken after land transfer signing on Dec. 30.

"A solution to transfer DOE property in the heart of our city has been one that has eluded the leadership of Oak Ridge for over 16 years, but it is now a great example of local and federal government working together as partners to achieve success," said Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch. "This transfer creates a 'win-win' for the community and DOE, by allowing new, modern facilities of public education and outreach to tell our historical story and the future of science and discovery."

"It's an exciting time to join DOE in celebrating one of several key land transfers in the City of Oak Ridge. This transferal will enable the community to effectively tell the story of men and women who have worked to protect our country during times of war and peace. Throughout my time in Congress, I have worked very hard to get government-held property transferred back to Oak Ridge, as well as Anderson and Roane counties, in order to benefit my constituents," said Congressman Fleischmann. "Also, I would like to thank Secretary Moniz for his dedication and strong support for the 'Secret City' over the last several years."

DOE first opened AMSE at its current location in 1975, as the successor to the American Museum of Atomic Energy which was initially established by the federal government in 1949, to showcase work classified for The Manhattan Project during World War II. Today, t he museum is managed by UT-Battelle, DOE's management and operating contractor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and attracts about 65,000 visitors annually. The site currently serves as the starting point for DOE's Public Bus Tours which include ORNL's Graphite Reactor, the Y-12 National Security Complex, and the former K-25 site (now East Tennessee Technology Park).

 

When the transfer is completed, DOE will save more than $2 million in long-term maintenance and operating expenses, and will receive new space to continue its public education and outreach efforts focused on Oak Ridge history, modern science, and national security.

 

Transfer of the ownership and management of the property, and its surrounding federal land, to Oak Ridge allows for the city to explore future innovative development and economic stimulus opportunities. In exchange, the City of Oak Ridge will provide 18,000 square feet of space for 15 years to the federal government at no cost in rent, utilities, or maintenance. The occupancy agreement allows for DOE to continue to operate AMSE in its current location for 365 days while new space is being prepared.

The last year has been an exciting period in Oak Ridge. New commercial buildings are being constructed in the City Center, improvements in our parks and trails are on the horizon and the National Historic Park is beginning to take shape. The Oak Ridge Planning Commission, with input from other boards, commissions and City leaders, has decided that it is time to begin crafting an updated long-range development plan, or "City Blueprint," which would provide guidance in future growth and decisions.  During the creation of this guiding document, it will be vital to receive input on its focus and content from the people of Oak Ridge. 

Preparations for the City Blueprint will begin with a kick-off meeting on Thursday, January 26, 2017, at High Places Church in Historic Grove Center. The event will run from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and all members of the community are invited. Attendees will be asked to provide information about where they live and their contact information.

Residents will be asked for feedback on what Oak Ridge is doing right, city services that can be done better and new innovative ideas that can be implemented. The Blueprint will become the collective vision for our future together.  

The information provided will be taken, analyzed, consolidated, and fed directly into documents which will form the new Oak Ridge City Blueprint.  The City encourages everyone to attend the kick-off and share opinions, ideas and dreams for the future of our great community.

 

For more information, contact the City's Community Development office by phone at (865) 425-3531 or visit the planning website at oakridgetn.gov/online/2017masterplan .

You can also keep track of meeting updates using our Facebook event page.

Please save the digital flyer below and share it with friends!

The Oak Ridge Senior Center will be open at the current site through Saturday, January 21. During the week of January 23 to January 28, the Senior Center will be moving to the Civic Center Recreation Building and will be closed to the public.

The Senior Center will reopen January 30 at the Civic Center location on the Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The Civic Center Recreation Building will be open to the public during the transition, with the exception of January 25 and 26. It will be closed these days for an Electric Department training event.

As we wind down from the winter weather, we'd like to take time to say THANK YOU to our wonderful Public Works Department. Not only did they treat the roads before and during the snow, they've also been called out during the holidays to make major repairs to critical City infrastructure. 

Below is just a little of what Public Works Director Shira McWaters has to say about all the amazing people in her department and the important work they do each day.

"I'm very pleased with the hard work and dedication demonstrated by all the Public Works employees during 2016. Their accomplishments are too numerous to list in their entirety, so I will provide a synopsis.

The water crew was very busy in 2016, repairing numerous water main breaks associated with an aging system and the drought which resulted in an increased frequency of breaks. The sewer crews were busy inspecting and maintaining the sewer collection system and due to their hard work and the successful operation of the Equalization Basins, we have significantly reduced sanitary sewer overflows in the City. The water treatment plant operators and maintenance crews have done an excellent job in maintaining the City's 70+ year old water treatment plant and assets. The wastewater treatment plant operators and maintenance crew have also done an excellent job in maintaining the plant and the City's numerous sewer pump stations. 

The street crew, which includes concrete and asphalt, had their work cut out for them in 2016, repairing streets, sidewalks, curbs, etc. damaged during the numerous water main breaks that occurred, in addition to general repairs. The general maintenance crew and facility specialists were also busy fixing several aging assets in the City, from HVAC systems on buildings, plumbing issues, storm drainage issues - including the repair of a large concrete drain pipe on Normandy Road - to general maintenance in the municipal buildings."

The repair on Normandy Road (pictured above and to the left) happened over the Christmas Parade weekend. The crew members who responded include:  Jansen Hamm,  Chris Webb,  Wayne Duggins,  Justin Lively,  Bryan Green,  Jaime Ramirez,  John Bonham,  Thurston Nix, and  Kenny Davis.

Waste Connections of Tennessee announced late last year that they would suspend glass recycling for their curbside pickup program in an effort to remain "dedicated to maintaining a healthy and strong recycling program for all residents." That change took effect on January 1.

In a recent letter to City officials, Doug McGill, Municipal Marketing Manager for Waste Connections, Inc., explained that "markets for recyclable materials ebb and flow, and changes in glass markets have made this change in service necessary. By removing glass from curbside collection, we will preserve the overall integrity of our recycling program."

Mr. McGill went on to say that the processor of recyclables in Knoxville will stop accepting single-stream recycling glass after the first of the year, as will most processing companies across the country. "The reason for this is twofold," Mr. McGill added. "Their equipment is being highly damaged by broken glass and comingled with colored glass, which has no market anymore. This is not a local issue - it is part of a national trend due to the regional nature of glass markets and related costs."

It's important to note that all other recyclable material will still be collected in the same way; there will be no additional changes to this service. Residents can still drop off recyclable glass (clear, green or amber) at the Waste Connections Convenience Center on Warehouse Road.

Mr. McGill is assuring customers that everyone at Waste Connections understands this will be more of an ongoing process than a defined cutoff as of January 1. He says they will work to make this a smooth transition.

We appreciate the community's cooperation with this update to the program. For additional information, you can contact Waste Connections of Tennessee at (865) 482-3656 or visit www.WasteConnectionsTN.com .

DISTRICT RECEIVES $15,000 GRANT TO IMPLEMENT NAVAL NATIONAL DEFENSE CADET CORP

The Oak Ridge Schools Advisory Board met on December 9 to engage community and industry leaders in informative sessions highlighting new programs in our schools.

They had the pleasure of hearing from three guests. Retired Navy Captain Gene Sievers of Consolidated Nuclear Security Y-12 spoke about his experience in the Navy and introduced the importance of our new Naval Sciences curriculum. We invited several classes of students to hear Captain Sievers, in hopes of recruiting students to our new Naval National Defense Cadet Corp course. Gordon Williams of Roane State Community College gave an overview of the mechatronics engineering dual enrollment courses offered to Oak Ridge High School students. Adam White of Secret City Dodge Jeep elaborated about the benefits of training students in high school for careers in automotive maintenance and light repair.

 

As a kickoff to the meeting, Jessica Steed, Executive Director of Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation (ORPSEF), along with Kristin Waldschlager and Gene Sievers (both of CNS Y-12), presented a check for $15,000 to Oak Ridge Schools to implement the new Naval National Defense Cadet Corp program at the high school. According to Jessica Steed, "Consolidated Nuclear Security's contribution to offset the Navy National Defense Cadet Corp program's startup costs is an outstanding example of key stakeholders working with school officials to benefit students in Oak Ridge Schools. This program gives students another opportunity to graduate on a pathway equipped for success."

 

In appreciation of the donation, Superintendent Bruce Borchers states, "We are so pleased and thankful for the partnership that we have with the Education Foundation and CNS Y-12. The donation will help Oak Ridge Schools pay for the startup cost for our new Navy NNDCC program starting next year at ORHS. This new program will lead to more of our students attaining the Seventh Key in our Seven Keys to College and Career Readiness. We look forward to working with CNS Y-12 now and in the future as we strive to make this one of the best Navy NNDCC programs in the country."

Most middle school students, when planning a trip to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, are thinking of IMAX theater screenings, artifacts, and experiencing the physics of astronaut training in simulators such as the Space ShotTM and G-Force. But what if these learners were given a real-life challenge that NASA engineers face on a daily basis, and asked to solve problems generally relegated to the top minds in the industry? What if those same young scholars were given the opportunity to then present their thought processes and design challenges to NASA engineers for a critical review? 

This is the incredible experience Robertsville Middle School Ram Time participants were given in Todd Livesay's enrichment course. It is a part of the Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI2) model introduced this year in Oak Ridge middle schools, which provides rich opportunities for students who are exceeding grade level expectations in their core courses.

 

When determining a course for the new curriculum for this enrichment course, Todd Livesay began conversations with a fellow Oak Ridge High School graduate, Dr. Patrick Hull, who now works for Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Dr. Hull explained to Mr. Livesay the NASA CubeSat Launch initiative (CSLI), which provides opportunities for small satellite cubes to fly as auxiliary payloads on previously planned missions.

The CSLI program allows students to participate in CubeSat investigations that address research in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education that is consistent with NASA's Strategic Plan. CSLI also provides educational opportunities that attract and retain students, teachers, and faculty in STEM disciplines. This strengthens the nation's future workforce and promotes innovative partnerships between NASA and other U.S. industries. 

 

The CubeSat Launch Initiative provides access to a low-cost pathway for conducting research, deploying these small payloads in a ride-share format. Since its inception in 2010, the initiative has selected and launched more than 46 student-created CubeSats. These miniature satellites were chosen from responses to public announcements on NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative.

For the inaugural problem/project-based learning activity (PBL), Mr. Livesay's students were challenged to create a small cube satellite with a lever-operated door that would deploy in space to release the contents of the cube.  Students then designed and created prototypes.

Their 3-D printed designs provided learning about which products and shapes provide the best stability. Students engaged in lively presentations and participated in subsequent discussions with the NASA engineers at Marshall for two early morning sessions on Thursday, May 19, 2016. The engineers lauded the learners for admitting mistakes, asking questions, and persisting in finding answers. An overarching theme of the panel's critique was for the group to focus next on having a guiding question, a crystal clear end goal - in their words - a "shiny object" to find; and to consider adding a hinge to the door to eliminate the excess "space junk" that will be created when it ejects and floats away.

 

Dr. Susan Currie, Education Specialist from the Marshall Space Flight Center wrote to Dr. Hull in response to the visit stating, "Wow! If that group doesn't inspire you, nothing will! I was blown away with the level of expertise and professionalism shown by the Oak Ridge students."

 

At the end of the experience, Mr. Livesay's class wrote letters of thanks back to their panel of experts. They expressed their gratitude, reflecting that even with the intrigue of space simulations and IMAX theater experiences, their favorite part was the two-hour interaction with experts who work on a daily basis to solve the problems they have been trying to solve over the past year in their favorite new Ram Time enrichment class.

Back in December, school leaders discussed ways to effectively implement this content in school-wide (and possibly district-wide) problem-based learning. Two visitors for the NASA project were John Weis, Educator Professional Development Specialist from LBJ Institute for STEM Education and Research and Dr. Susan Currie, Education Specialist for NASA (both seen above in group photo).

Oak Ridge Schools is pleased to announce that we have received our results from high school end of course assessment for the 2015-2016 school year. Only high school results have been released because testing was canceled for grades 3-8 last school year due to difficulties with the state's assessment vendor.

We are delighted to report that Oak Ridge Schools excelled in high school achievement and growth as compared to the state. In fact, we outperformed the state in every subject area in every subgroup and in every single subscore.

Here are a few highlights:

Despite these highlights, it is important to note that proficiency (calculated through "On track" + "Mastered") scores have dropped overall as a state compared to the previous assessment. This is because the assessments were new and fundamentally different; they have different kinds of questions based on higher standards than ever before. In addition, the new assessments were scored in an entirely different manner. It is therefore not productive to compare current results to past results. 

As Tennessee's Education Commissioner Dr. Candice McQueen said, "Not only was the exam based on the higher standards, but it also included different types of questions and looked for critical thinking, problem solving, and writing skills that are required to be successful after high school...Statewide, we saw lower scores than we have had in the past. That does not mean students are learning less - instead, we have set a higher bar for what all students should know and be able to do..." 

T hese results reflect a reset moment for the state, so please be wary of anyone trying to compare the apples and oranges of testing before and after the 2015-2016 school year.

In Oak Ridge, we believe in success for all of our students. We celebrate these positive comparisons to the state, but we measure ourselves through how students are meeting our Seven Keys to College and Career Readiness. To meet those, we continue to work to build on the successes we already have while improving areas of challenge. We are grateful to the Oak Ridge community for their continued support of our public schools.

The City's Youth Advisory Board (YAB) collected new and nearly new toys at Oak Ridge High School last year to support the Holiday Bureau of Anderson County.

YAB students also spent about $800 locally, purchasing new items that the Holiday Bureau had on their most-needed list.

On December 7th, the YAB delivered the toys to the Holiday Bureau. After the drop-off, the group of students also volunteered to help sort all the donations.

The Holiday Bureau is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that has been helping the community since 1945.

The Bureau provides things like toys, books, games, and even food to low-income families. Their efforts are concentrated during the holiday season, but volunteers work year-round to collect and distribute items to those in need.

Also on the list, gifts that would be good for teenage recipients. It's a group that Holiday Bureau volunteers say can often be overlooked during donation time.

The City of Oak Ridge is offering two drop-off locations for citizens to recycle their Christmas trees after the holidays.

Signs have been posted in both spots to direct residents where to place the trees. The drop-off locations are:

Trees will be accepted any time through January 29, 2017. On Saturday, January 14, and Saturday, January 21, Recreation and Parks Department employees will be available to assist with unloading trees at the Big Turtle Park drop-off location from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Please be sure to remove all tinsel and other decorations from the Christmas trees before dropping them off for recycling. Wreaths and garland will also be accepted, but no brush.

For more information, contact the Recreation and Parks Department by phone at (865) 425-3450 or visit their departmental website at orrecparks.oakridgetn.gov . 

The Leadership Oak Ridge Class of 2016 successfully renovated the Boys & Girls Club Teen Room for their group project last year.

The group chose this challenge because the state of the teen room was becoming a barrier to the club's goal of providing fun with a purpose to all youth participants.

Leadership Oak Ridge was able to raise nearly $20,000 to fund all the upgrades, which included new flooring, ceiling tiles, paint, technology, and art supplies. Boys & Girls Club staff members say the kids loved the new room. They were even asking if the club could extend their operating hours so they could stay longer.

Entering its 30th program year, Leadership Oak Ridge (LOR) is one of the longest continuously running community leadership programs in the United States. The mission is to inform current, potential and emerging leaders about Oak Ridge and its issues, and provide them with leadership skills development in order to empower them to identify and implement solutions to those community issues. 

Group photo of the Leadership Oak Ridge class of 2016.

The Healthy Waters Program will be hosting a pick up location for 100K Tree Day on February 25th, 2017!

This is an event sponsored by the Tennessee Environmental Council in which 100,000 trees are planted throughout the state in one hour. The trees are being provided at no cost by the Tennessee Environmental Council (TEC) for participants to plant in their community.

Trees help to absorb and filter polluted stormwater runoff before it reaches our streams. If you are interested in being involved in this great event, you can register online and order trees (at no cost) to plant at your home, school or in your community, courtesy of TEC! 

After registering, make sure you pick up your trees on the date listed below.

When: Saturday, February 25th, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Where: Jackson Square, 223 Broadway Ave., Oak Ridge, TN

*NOTE:  We will only have trees for those who have registered in advance.

If you have questions, contact our AmeriCorps members Caitlin Craighead and Tina Ball by sending an email to healthywaters@oakridgetn.gov.

It's never too early to talk about water safety.  The City teaches a free basic water safety course for children from several local organizations.

The Water Awareness classes will begin on Wednesday, January 25. The program will continue every Wednesday, from 2:45 to 3:30 p.m., through February 15.

In the event that school is canceled or released early due to bad weather, we will also cancel the program for that day. Canceled dates will most likely not be rescheduled.

Income limits have been raised significantly to allow more residents to qualify for free home upgrades through the  Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient (MORE2) program.

To spread the word, MORE2 organizers are hosting classes they hope will allow homeowners to look into qualifications and learn how the program works. The classes are also aimed at teaching cost effective ways families can make energy-saving improvements to their homes.

Those interested in applying can bring the following  items with them to the class:

You can also read success stories from some of the people who've received upgrades to their homes through the MORE2 program. Just visit the  website and click on the "Participant Stories" tab on the top right. 

HOUSE #6

Before

After

A schedule of other upcoming MORE2 classes and public meetings can be found  online . Walk-ins are welcome, but registration is also available on the website.