City Manager Randy Hemann talks to government af- fairs and information services director Amy Fitzgerald after an Oak Ridge City Council meeting. - Ben Pounds
The city of Oak Ridge announced it will “pause” its work toward a new airport on the Roane County side of Oak Ridge.
An official city news release stated the city is looking at possible other sites instead of its original one for the airport because of Orano, USA’s plans to build a more than $5 billion uranium enrichment facility near the site the city had been considering.
“The state and the city have pledged to work together on the possible relocation of the airport to accommodate one of the largest single economic investments in the history of the state of Tennessee,” Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch said in the release.
“We are committed to evaluate available options to determine the optimal path forward,” he said.
Lauren Gray, city communications specialist, told The Courier News the city hasn’t named any alternative locations yet.
The city of Oak Ridge took control of the airport project in 2020.
Norris Mayor Chris Mitchell addresses the crowd during a City Council candidates’ forum Saturday afternoon. The forum was organized by Mitchell, and six of the seven council candidates for the Nov. 5 municipal election showed up for the event. Looking on at right is Council- man Will Grinder. - G. Chambers Williams III
All five incumbents and one of two challengers turned out Saturday at the Norris Community Building for two forums designed to allow City Council candidates to state their cases for votes in the Nov. 5 municipal election.
The overwhelming message from the five members of the council running for re-election was that they intend to keep doing what they’ve been doing for the past two years or more: keep Norris the unique community it has earned its good reputation for, and keep taxes – and city debt – well in check.
Attendees included Mayor Chris Mitchell, who organized the separate afternoon and evening forums, along with council members Loretta Painter, Bill Grieve, Chuck Nicholson and Will Grinder; and challenger Ron Hill, who previously served a term on the council.
Conspicuously absent was the second challenger, James “Lee” Ragsdale, who did not show up for either forum, and did not send word as to why he was not present.
One resident who attended the first of the forums, which was scheduled from 1-4 p.m., even asked the other six candidates present whether they had heard anything from Ragsdale as to why he wasn’t there.
About 50 people – presumably all Norris voters – turned out for the first session, while about 20 were on hand for the second session, which began at 5 p.m.
All five council seats are up for re-election every two years, and both the mayor and vice-mayor are chosen from mong the council members by a vote of the new council in its first meeting, in December, after the November election each year.
“We’re on a great course,” Mitchell told the crowd. “We have no [city] debt, and we have not had a tax increase in 16 years.”
Mitchell is in his eighth two-year term as a council member and mayor, serving nearly 16 years.
Rocky Top City Manager Mike Ellis, left, watches as Mayor Kerry Templin, fourth from left, leads last Thursday night’s council meeting. Other members include, from left, Jeff Gilliam, Mack Bunch, Zack Green and Stacy Phillips. - G. Chambers Williams III
On final reading last Thursday night, the Rocky Top City Council voted unanimously to pass an ordinance restricting signs on property announcing them for sale, rent or lease to just 16 square feet.
The new rules also require the signs to be unlighted, and limits them to one per property.
In August, the council had passed the measure, Ordinance 592, on first reading by a unanimous vote.
The vote was unanimous again on second reading Thursday night, and with that approval, the ordinance will now go into effect.
Council members also unanimously approved a “Resolution for Support of Israel.”
Introduced by Councilman Zack Green, the resolution states that on “Oct. 7, 2023, Israel suffered the largest terrorist attack since the holocaust as the terrorist organization Hamas carried out an unprovoked attack from the Gaza Strip on the nation of Israel, murdering more than 1,200 people from 31 countries.
“ ... Such brutality defies human dignity and is abhorrent regardless of who the perpetrators or victims may be,” the resolution reads.
It continues:
“The nation of Israel, though constantly maligned and its very existence threatened, has the right to defend itself just as any other nation; and we are compelled and commanded to take a stand in solidarity to support Israel’s ability to defend itself from any threat of violence, terrorism, or war.”
The resolution also proclaims that “the city of Rocky Top will recognize annually the seventh day of October as a day of prayer of blessings and peace for the nation of Israel and remembrance to the lives lost.”
The “Safe Haven Baby Box” made available to Rocky Top through a donation from a church in Kingston has been installed and should be ready for use within the next two months, Mayor Kerry Templin told the City Council during last week’s monthly meeting.
Designed as a safe place for new mothers to drop off unwanted infants, the baby box still needs electrical and alarm hookups, but basic installation was completed earlier this month, the mayor said.
Kingston United Methodist donated $28,000 to Rocky Top to pay for installation and maintenance of the baby box in the city’s downtown fire station, where there are staff members on duty 24 hours a day.
During the March City Council meeting, the woman whose idea it was, Linda Wolfenbarger of Kingston, was on hand to explain the plans for the Rocky Top baby box.
She was joined by Ben Williams of Kington United Methodist Church, who presented the $28,000 check to Templin to pay the $12,000 cost of the box, along with $12,000 for installation and enough extra to pay $300 a year for 10 years of maintenance.
“This is an awesome thing,” Templin said at the time.
Williams, who runs the Clothes Closet at the Kingston church, said money made by that operation is funneled into community projects such as baby boxes. The church also helped pay for a baby box that was recently installed at the Kingston Fire Department.
Norris Middle School is heading into the final week of its regular football season on a high note, after winning a rivalry game in impressive fashion last week.
The Senators secured a 26-0 victory over Clinton Middle School on Thursday night at Anderson County High School.
Norris got touchdowns from Riley Miller, Ty Page, Coltyn Noe, and Mason Wells.
Nash Pope also contributed with a successful two-point conversion against the Hawks.
Quarterback Cooper Downs had a stellar performance, proving to be a dual threat for the Senators.
He completed 10 of 14 passes for 187 yards.
Downs, who improved to 4-1 as a starting quarterback for Norris, also finished the contest with 52 rushing yards.
Norris will face Robertsville in the regular-season finale for both schools on Thursday night at Anderson County High.
The Rams (6-1 overall, 5-0 in the Tennessee Valley Athletic Conference) can clinch the No. 1 seed in the playoffs with a win over the Senators.
