Pool, animal shelter, streets ... Oak Ridge City Council ranks future projects
Replacing or renovating the pool, increasing the amount of money spent on street improvements, building a new animal shelter: Oak Ridge City Council members recently ranked their priorities among large projects facing the city as the local government staff prepares the budget proposal for the upcoming year and looks to budget years ahead.
Although City Manager Randy Hemann asked each council member to rank their priorities, he said the end-result wouldn't mean city staff would drop lesser-ranked projects.
"We want to do everything that is shown here," he said during a budget workshop April 8 in the Municipal Building.
The large projects facing the city, listed in order of their ranking by council are below. Multiple, diverse projects are listed together because they received the same ranking.
A new west-end school and street improvements
The outdoor swimming pool
Affordable housing
An airport and a recreation and parks master plan
The Scarboro 85 Monument in A.K. Bissell Park; a fifth fire station; a new animal shelter; and redevelopment projects such as the Wilson Street/downtown Oak Ridge area, Central Avenue and the Federal Building, if the federal government vacates the "Castle on the Hill."
Council members said these capital projects and their level of priority need to be incorporated into other city plans such as the city blueprint, a strategic plan currently being worked on by city staff, and the Oak Ridge planning commission's planned comprehensive plan.
"This is all (about) ... how do we make this work," Hemann said of the ranking.
Mayor Warren Gooch said whatever projects the city tackles there must be continued commitment to excellence. He also pointed out that the city is obligated to expand or enlarge its water and sewer and electrical systems to meet the increase in housing, particularly in the west end of the city.
"It's a given," Hemann said of expanding the utility systems.
Council member Ellen Smith pointed out that the projects listed have vastly different costs and workhours associated with them.
Hemann said the airport project needs another $20 million in funding that would have to be obtained from state or federal governments.
"We cannot carry debt on the airport," he said.
City officials are proposing to build a general aviation airport at the Horizon Center on the west end of Oak Ridge in Roane County. The Horizon Center is located off of U.S. Highway 58 on the land known by many people as the former K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant site. The airport would not be for large passenger planes such as those that land at McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, but for smaller planes that would likely bring officials of current and future companies to Oak Ridge. No significant city funding is planned for the airport.
The Oak Ridger's News Editor Donna Smith covers Oak Ridge area news. Email her at dsmith@oakridger.com and follow her on Twitter@ridgernewsed.
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This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Oak Ridge City Council ranks future projects
