ETTP News and Contact Info

In The News

Recent article in TN Business Magazine
Grounds for Improvement
K-25's uranium enrichment site makes the transition from half-life to new life.
By Alexei Smirnov

Highly skilled, security-clearance-wielding scientists like Bill Bostick or Doug Hoffman had nowhere to go in the mid-1990s. The U.S. Department of Energy had cut off their funding as it was shutting down hundreds of facilities across the country due to a sweep of budget cuts across the federal government. Not trained to wait tables, they were equally unprepared for early retirement, so the scientists banded together to form Materials and Chemistry Lab, a private entity of 12 people who can do everything from industrial forensics (figuring out which materials work in which conditions) to environmental consulting. They negotiated a lease of a building and equipment at DoE's old K-25 site—a 1,500-acre bastion of buildings that were used to enrich uranium for the Manhattan Project—and went to work as a private contractor. (Read)

Recent Articles from The Oak Ridger (more articles at bottom of page)

building 1330 Sale of three buildings marks milestone at ETTP

History was made last week at the East Tennessee Technology Park's Heritage Center, the site of the former K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant, as three buildings were sold to a private company, JMM Realty LLC, an affiliate of Fulcra Enterprises Inc., out of Cornelius, N.C. (Read)

fire station 4 Firefighters move into Fire Station No. 4.

A new fire station, Station No. 4, located at the East Tennessee Technology Park, is now officially part of the Oak Ridge Fire Department. With the addition of the new station, west end residents and businesses will have faster firefighting and emergency medical services.

The ETTP fire protection and advanced life support emergency medical services, and more than two acres of real property, are part of the ORFD package. With the agreement between the city of Oak Ridge and the Department of Energy/Bechtel Jacobs, the city will add firefighters, ambulances, a rescue truck, a hazardous materials truck, utility vehicles, a storage tent, and other equipment to its firefighting force.

Firefighters on Monday moved reserve fire equipment to Station No. 4 to the site temporarily until the equipment and trucks housed there can be tested to be sure they meet the city's standards.
Scott Fraker/Oak Ridger Staff

Reindustrialization Team wins P2 Award

Pollution Prevention (P2) is a part of the way BJC does business and it is also part of ISMS and EMS and is required by DOE Order and Executive Order. BJC initiated an awards program this year to recognize P2/Waste Minimization achievement among all of the projects.

A number of entries were received in a wide variety of categories ranging from Affirmative Procurement (Green Purchasing) to Waste Prevention, which was awarded to the Reindustrialization Team for outstanding achievement in the transfer of six ETTP facilities and the approval to transfer two additional facilities. Facility transfers save valuable landfill space and offer significant cost savings to the ACP (such as the $1.1 million in avoided D&D costs for the transfer of K-1652). Building transfers achieve P2 goals by providing adaptive reuse of facilities, and support the success of Heritage Center as a brownfield site. Further, the Reindustrialization Team has supported overall sustainable use objectives at ETTP via the meadows restoration initiative and other cooperative efforts with the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee.

Native grasses and wildflowers will replace fescue and weeds at Heritage Center. This effort will save thousands of dollars in mowing expense and reduce gas-burning emissions. It will also create a more interesting campus setting.

The meadow restoration project is directed by Bob Greenwell of CROET and a team of environmental planners and architects. The project began in Fall 2006 with herbicide applications to remove the non-native grasses and weeds. By late Winter 2007, the team will turn the soil of the 100-acre area. After a spring planting, native grasses and wildflowers will begin to emerge and should look meadow-like by late summer. Maintenance will continue for several years. The meadows should be self sustaining within 3 to 5 years. The photograph above shows a business campus where meadow restoration was successful.

Plans announced for motorsports facility. Fast Visions of Tennessee has announced initial plans for the construction of Thousand Suns International Road Course at the historic Heritage Center (more at Thousand Suns Motor Sports web site).

DOE Completes Another Step in ETTP Site Reindustrialization. Two Additional Buildings Transferred for Use in Private Sector (more). PDF fact sheet.

Government Office Buildings Transferred for private sector use at East Tennessee Technology Park
(more). PDF fact sheet.

ETTP tenant M&EC Corporation recently completed the landmark K-1200 Center and South Bay Cleanup Project, restoring the facility to productive use and saving American taxpayers $2 million in the process. Click here to see how it was done.

News Archive

Donated DOE Trailer Aids Roane County Humane Society. No longer needed trailer that formerly housed ETTP workers will soon be home to a much-needed spay/neuter clinic in Roane County (more).

Reindustrialization Team awarded 2003 Phoenix Award. The ETTP Reindustrialization Team has been awarded EPA's prestigious 2003 Phoenix Award for excellence in brownfields development (more).

Also read related articles in The Oak Ridger and News Sentinel sections below.

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