ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ADVISORY BOARD
ANNUAL REPORT
FISCAL YEAR
2005
1. GENERAL SUMMARY
This report summarizes the principal activities of
the City of Oak Ridge’s Environmental Quality Advisory Board (EQAB) during
fiscal year 2005 covering the period beginning July 1, 2004 and ending June 30,
2005. EQAB met every month except July
2004 and December 2004 during fiscal year 2005. The April 2005 meeting was held
as a work Session with City Council. Meetings held in February and March 2005
were held as work sessions due to lack of a quorum. Meetings were generally held on the first Thursday of each month.
Additional meetings were scheduled as needed for committee meetings or to
address particular issues of importance.
1.1
MEMBERSHIP
Members of EQAB during this past fiscal year
(2004-2005) included the following individuals:
Ellen Smith, Chairperson
Aaron Peacock, Vice-Chairperson
Chuck Agle, Planning Commission Representative
Shelaine Curd-Hetrick
Laurel Ensign-Simmons
Jimmy Groton, Secretary
John Huotari (Resigned Autumn/2004)
Tyler Johnson
Mike Maston
Tammy Phillips
Al Skyberg
Rachel Anderson Oak Ridge High School Representative (Term began June 2005)
Ann Huston Oak Ridge High School Representative
(Term expired June 2005)
Amy Fitzgerald continued to serve as the liaison between City Staff and EQAB. Other City Staff filled in at EQAB meetings for particular topics of interest or as necessary.
1.2 HIGH SCHOOL REPRESENTATIVES
In
May 2005 Ann Huston, a senior, completed the second year of a two-year term
that ends in June 2005 and left the board when she graduated from Oak Ridge
High School. In May 2004 City Council elected Laurel Ensign-Simmons, a junior,
to serve a two-year term ending June 2006. Rachel Anderson, a rising junior,
was elected by Council to serve as the second high school representative on
EQAB.
Throughout the year, Ms. Huston and Ms.
Ensign-Simmons continued working successfully on environmental efforts that
involved high school students and other members of the community. The students
encouraged and organized student participation in community activities to
recognize America Recycles Day in November 2004 conducting public awareness
activities at the local Staples store. Other EQAB members also helped with
America Recycles Day activities at Staples.
2. EQAB’S COMMITTEES
2.1 EQAB COMMITTEES
Four standing committees previously established by
EQAB remained active during this reporting period. These committees met periodically during the year, as needed to
discuss important issues or consolidate document review responses. The committees and the chairperson for each:
Regulatory Oversight, Chair: Ellen Smith
Resource Conservation and Management, Chair: Vacant
Urban Design, Chair: Tyler Johnson
Greenways and Open Space, Chair: Jimmy Groton
2.1.1 Regulatory Oversight Committee
The Regulatory Oversight Committee continued to
provide timely input to City Council, City Staff, Department of Energy, U. S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Tennessee Department of Environment and
Conservation, and other agencies about issues related to environmental
contamination in the community, as well as other initiatives that could affect
environmental quality, both in the government and private sectors.
2.1.2 Resource Conservation And Management
The Resource Conservation and Management Committee
continued its efforts to monitor activities in the community that could impact
land, water, and energy resources. The
committee promoted several specific measures to encourage the reuse of valuable
resources, to prevent unnecessary generation of wastes, to stimulate recycling,
and to encourage litter reduction in the City. For the third year the committee
supported America Recycles Day (held November 2004), a community educational event
promoting use of items made from recycled materials. High school student
volunteers and EQAB members participated in the event by staffing an
information site at the local Staples store.
EQAB also supported the City’s participation in the
semiannual Hazardous Materials Pickup events.
2.1.3 Urban Design Committee
Environmental
Quality Awards were presented for 2004 at the May 23, 2005 Oak Ridge City
Council meeting. Awards were presented in four categories:
Architectural
Design in Renovation – R & R Properties
For their architecturally sensitive renovations to: Victory
Centre (formerly Fairbanks Plaza), 575 Oak Ridge Turnpike and Pro2Serve
(previously occupied by a racquet club), 545 Oak Ridge Turnpike.
Architectural
Design in New Construction – R & R Properties
The new Social Security Administration Building at 565 Oak
Ridge Turnpike is blended with the renovated buildings to present an eye
catching view from the Oak Ridge Turnpike.
Art
in the City - Oak Ridge Art Center
The Oak Ridge Art Center’s newest gift to the community is a
mural designed by artist Kevin Wright and executed with the help of many
volunteers. Entitled “What’s Goin’ On,” the mural is 110 feet long and 20
feet high and depicts Art Center activities – potter, painting, and classes and
exhibits. More than 40 individual sponsors helped fund the mural, as did
the Tennessee Arts Commission and Arts and Culture Alliance, Wal-Mart, and
Pittsburgh Paints.
Architecture
- ORAU Conference Center Addition
This office annex occupies the area immediately west of the
original Pollard Auditorium and Conference Center; the main entrance faces
Badger Road. Access to this new addition from the Pollard building is
easily achieved via an enclosed walkway which is also fitted with tinted glass.
Funding for the addition/renovation was provided through a Technology
Improvements Grant from the Small Business Administration (SBA). ORAU and
the City of Oak Ridge partnered on the SBA grant application for the
construction activity; engineering design by Benefield Richters Company
Architects; construction by Anthony & Gordon Construction Company,
Incorporated and Denark Construction Company; project management by Partners
Development.
2.1.4 Greenbelts and Open Space Committee
The Greenbelts and Open Space Committee continued to
promote the preservation of open space, the protection of significant natural
features, and the effective stewardship of greenbelts throughout the City.
2.2 OTHER COMMITTEES
Several EQAB members represented EQAB and the City
through active participation on several boards, advisory groups, or local
institutions engaged in activities of interest to EQAB. These external organizations included the
following:
Oak Ridge Regional Planning Commission: EQAB
representative is Chuck Agle
Local Oversight Committee (LOC): EQAB’s
representative is Ellen Smith.
Anderson County Regional Solid Waste Management
Board: John Huotari represented EQAB.
DOE Stewardship Working Group: EQAB’s representative is Tyler Johnson.
3. PRESENTATIONS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES
The following is a list of presentations made by
outside groups to EQAB during the past year (July 2004 through June 2005).
|
Presentation |
Presenter(s) |
Date |
|
Big
Turtle Park Wetland and West Nile Virus |
Mrs.
Ann Mason and Mrs. Marsha Sanslow (private citizens) and Josh Collins (City
staff) |
August
4, 2004 |
|
Update
on Radioactivist Campaign |
Norm
Buske and Moon Callison, The Radioactivist Campaign |
November
4, 2004 |
|
Keep
America Beautiful Proposal |
Ellen
Smith |
January
6, 2005 |
|
Commercial
Processing at Duratek |
Kimberlie
Cole and Troy Eshleman, Duratek, Inc. |
March
3, 2005 |
|
Open house/tour of the
Toxco facility |
|
April
16, 2005 |
4. TECHNICAL REVIEWS
CONDUCTED BY EQAB
In all EQAB reviewed
more than 59 communication items during fiscal year 2005.
5. OTHER ISSUES
EQAB met every month except July 2004 and December 2004 during fiscal year 2005. EQAB typically does not meet in July because the meeting time usually coincides with July 4th Holiday events. The December meeting was cancelled because of members travel schedules. The February and March meetings were held as work sessions because EQAB members’ travel schedules for work prevented achieving a quorum at these meetings. A special EQAB work session was held on March 15, 2005 in preparation for the April 2005 meeting, which was held as a Work Session with City Council. Attendance at EQAB’s regularly scheduled monthly meetings averaged 72%.
5.2 DOE REPRESENTATIVE
As in previous years, DOE Oak Ridge Operations sent a designated representative to most EQAB meetings. The DOE representative during fiscal year 2005 was Mark Belvin. Mr. Belvin regularly attended the monthly EQAB meetings and provided an important avenue of communication between DOE and EQAB.