It's Fall in Oak Ridge

40th Annual Children's Halloween Party set for Oct. 27

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host the 2022 Children’s Halloween Party on Thursday, October 27, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This annual event will be attended by hundreds of children and their parents. Activities will be planned throughout A.K. Bissell Park including a hayride, weather permitting.

Businesses and organizations are invited to sponsor a booth for the event. Sponsors will supply volunteers and hand out candy throughout the event. Booths should be age appropriate for children aged 4 through 4th grade. Applications can be picked up at the Civic Center front desk.

Additional adult volunteers are needed to assist with other activities. Persons wishing to work at the event should call the Civic Center at the number listed below. On the night of the event, volunteers should report to the Civic Center by 5:30 p.m. and plan to stay until 9 p.m. The first 50 volunteers to sign up will receive an event T-shirt. A pizza snack will be served to all volunteers immediately following the event.

Parking will be located at both the east (Civic Center side) and west (Library side) parking areas. The east side parking area will be filled first. Traffic on the Civic Center frontage road will flow in one direction exiting onto Oak Ridge Turnpike from the west (Library side) parking area.

For more information, contact Cameron Taylor with the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department at (865) 425-3450. For more information about this and other events, visit the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks website at http://orrecparks.oakridgetn.gov.

Proposed Oak Ridge City Charter Amendments

on the November Ballot

Two proposed amendments to the Oak Ridge City Charter will be on the November 8, 2022 General Election ballot for Oak Ridge voters.

The first adds a requirement that a summary of City Council proceedings be published on the City’s website and removes the requirement that such summary be published in the official City newspaper.

Article II, Section 8, Council rules – Transaction of business:

Proposed: “A summary of council proceedings shall be published on the City’s website within fifteen (15) days after a meeting, showing the substance of each council action.”

Current: “A summary of council proceedings shall be published in the official city newspaper within fifteen (15) days after a meeting, showing the substance of each council action.”

The second amendment proposes that the definition of Official City Newspaper in the Oak Ridge City Charter be expanded to allow the use of digital media for the publication of official notices.

Article III, Section 12, Official city newspaper:

Proposed: “The council by resolution shall designate an official city newspaper as a vehicle for required publication of city notices to be a newspaper of general circulation, a city of Oak Ridge website, or an online publication. The official notices and publications to be published in the official city newspaper shall also be published on the city’s website.”

Current: “The council by resolution shall designate a newspaper of general circulation in the city as the official city newspaper. The official notices and publications to be published in the official city newspaper shall also be published on the city’s website.”

Election Day is Nov. 8, 2022. The deadline to register to vote in that election is Tuesday, Oct. 11. Early voting begins Wednesday, Oct. 19 and lasts until Thursday, Nov. 3. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Tuesday, Nov. 1.

For more information, contact the Oak Ridge City Clerk’s Office at (865) 425-3411 or visit govotetn.gov.

Oak Ridge City Manager Dr. Mark Watson was honored by ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, as the recipient of the organization’s Award for Career Development in Memory of L.P. Cookingham.

ICMA’s Award for Career Development in Memory of L.P. Cookingham recognizes an outstanding local government administrator who has made a significant contribution to the career development of new talent in professional local government management.

As the recipient of the award, he was honored in various platforms including ICMA’s Annual Conference, Sept. 17-21, 2022.

Watson has positively influenced the career paths of over two dozen interns and assistants since beginning his career in local government in 1981. He has shared his knowledge with students and young professionals from around the world including teaching forty students about local government in Beijing, China, in 2018.

“Receiving this award is a great honor. L.P. Cookingham, who was City Manager of Kansas City, Missouri from 1939-59, laid the foundation for decades of City Managers and leaders to come. Over the years, I’ve mentored dozens of young professionals. This award encapsulates the experiences, lessons learned, and career development of those new leaders who are just beginning to learn the ropes of City Management,” Watson said.

Watson is a second-generation city manager and has served as City Manager for the City of Oak Ridge since 2010.

He received a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Kansas. His alma mater recently recognized him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in City Management.

Watson will also be recognized by the International City/County Management Association for 45 years of public service.

In May 2019, he completed his doctorate degree in philosophy from the University of Tennessee. While attending UT’s doctoral program, Watson concentrated in the field of public administration and public policy.

The ICMA Local Government Excellence Awards Program highlights creative contributions to professional local government management while demonstrating the difference that effective and committed management makes to the quality of life in our communities. ICMA’s Professional Awards honor achievements made by outstanding chief administrative officers, assistant administrators, academics, and others accomplished through tenure in local governments or organizations. Nominations are evaluated by an independent, 13-person panel of ICMA members.

Matt Wojnowski, who is currently the assistant city manager of Hutto, Texas, worked with Watson in Temple, Texas, after Wojnowski left graduate school.

“Mark was my first city manager, supervisor, and mentor. He instantly instilled his trust and confidence in me as an employee, encouraging me to work on several important projects,” he said. “Mark Watson continues to be a mentor, a leader, and a friend.”

These recipients set the standard for innovation, effectiveness, and creativity in the cities, towns, counties, and academic institutions they lead. We thank them for their commitment to improving the lives of the constituents they serve every day.

In addition to in-person and virtual conference recognition, the 2022 ICMA award recipients are highlighted in the October 2022 issue of PM magazine.

There are five new benches at the recently renovated Scarboro Community Center playground, thanks to the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge.

The new benches were installed with funding assistance from a Rotary International District 6780 grant.

“Thank you to the City of Oak Ridge for helping us coordinate this project! We hope they will be enjoyed for many years to come,” Oak Ridge Rotary Club President Robert Scott Smith said.

The donation was in honor of 75 years of community service.

“The Scarboro playground, which has been a staple in the community for decades, just recently underwent some major upgrades,” said Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson. “These new benches are the ‘icing on the cake!’”

ORFD assists with Smoky Mountain Airshow

The Oak Ridge Fire Department helped the 134th Air Refueling Wing, McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base at the Smoky Mountain Airshow last month. 

“Our crews provided medical aid and communications equipment,” said Oak Ridge Fire Chief Travis Solomon. “It's always nice when we can support other agencies in the area.”

ORFD provided medical crews and utility task vehicles (UTVs) to facilitate quick access to patients and easy transport through the crowd.

“We also brought portable radios to enhance communications between the multiple agencies, the command post, and the National Guard personnel who were staffing medical aid tents,” ORFD Fire Projects Officer Seth Burnett said.

While Burnett said providing care for various types of emergencies is something they do every day. The main difference: they weren’t in a fire station. 

“In the course of a day, we may have contact with 20 to 30 people whether that’s between patients, families, or other members of the public. At the airshow, we were among the crowd and able to interact with hundreds of people,” Burnett said. 

He said he enjoyed being able to see other colleagues from across the region working the show, but the best part of the day was the main event. 

“The best part of the day was watching some of the most talented pilots fly and meet some of the military personnel serving the country,” he said. 

The Department appreciates the opportunity to serve and looks forward to being welcomed back in the years to come. 

As always, the Oak Ridge Fire Department would like to remind everyone of the importance of working smoke alarms. You can contact the Oak Ridge Fire Department for a free inspection of your smoke alarms at 865-425-FIRE (3473).

ORFD Batallion Chief Eric Mocsari retires after 30+ year career

Battalion Chief Eric Mocsari retired after a 30+ year career with ORFD on September 30, 2022. 

He was instrumental in ORFD's Emergency Medical programs, encouraged firefighter and officer professional development, and served as C-Shift Battalion Chief. At Chief Mocsari's retirement celebration, he had the unique opportunity to administer the Oath of Office for his son, Michael, who began employment with ORFD last week.

Congratulations, Chief! "Blue Skies and Tailwinds" as you head into your next chapter.

Join Oak Ridge’s Poet Laureate, Dr. Erin Elizabeth Smith, and writers of all experience levels for two events that highlight the main components of the writing experience—writing, editing, and sharing the work with your community.

Join us on Oct. 15 and/or Nov. 19 from 2 to 4 p.m.

For more information, visit ORPL.org or follow the library on Facebook and Twitter: @OakRidgePubLib.

ORPL's October Programs

The Oak Ridge Public Library offers several programs each month.

The Technology Lab will be open Thursday, Oct. 6 and Thursday, Oct. 20 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Staff is available to offer support for smartphones, tablets, and computers. Laptops and devices are also available on site.

A Virtual Author Talk with Dr. Aziz Gazipura, one of the world’s leading experts on social confidence. He will discuss how to stop being too nice and worrying about what others might think Oct. 13 at 4 p.m.

For locations and virtual options of programs, visit ORPL.org. For more, follow the library on Facebook and Twitter: @OakRidgePubLib.

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