Oak Ridge
Heritage and Preservation Association
Minutes –Monthly Meeting October 11, 2007
Attendance: Irene Pinkston, Betty Stokes, Lloyd Stokes, Anne McBride, Jeanie
Wilcox, Bill Wilcox, Bobbie Martin, Pat Clark, Martin McBride, Fred Heddleson,
Jerry Creasey, Pearlie Rivas, Colleen Black, Mary Henderson, Mick Wiest, Keith
McDaniel, Margaret Allard, Judy Clevenger, Myra Mansfield, Ken Whitehouse, Peggy
Whitehouse, Fay Martin, Dave Miller, Heidi Miller, Harold Jernigan, Jim Kolb,
Nicky Reynolds, George Piper and Ray Smith.
The meeting began at 7:06 p.m. in the Wildcat Den room of the Midtown Community
Center. President, Keith McDaniel presided at the meeting. There were 29 people
present at the meeting (see attachment 1 on file.) Keith McDaniel reminded
everyone that ORHPA Board of Directors meetings are open to anyone who wishes to
attend. He reported the Board of Directors usually have a meeting each month
although we do not currently have a meeting scheduled for October.
Secretary, Anne McBride reported the Building Sign Committee had their first
meeting this week. We are currently discussing options and doing research for an
ORHPA sign on the grounds outside the building. We do want to include the Local
Oversight Committee and the Convention and Visitors Bureau on the sign, as our
tenants. Anyone who wants to participate on the sign committee is invited to do
so.
Anne McBride also announced the ORHPA November 8 monthly meeting speakers will
be members, Myra and Jack Mansfield. They will give us a presentation on the
“John Hendrix Memorial Prayer Walk”, which they are building on their property
in Hendrix Creek. The December 13th monthly meeting will be a pot luck dinner
and this is our annual meeting where we elect new Board of Director members to
fill 6 openings on the ORHPA board for 2008. We have received a message from
member Ethel Steinhauer for the membership. Ethel has moved back to Oak Ridge
(same street address) but has a new email address. Anyone who would like her
email address should contact Anne McBride.
Nominating Committee Chair, Lloyd Stokes reported we need nominations for the
Board of Directors for 2008. The deadline for submitting them is October 30.
Nominations should be sent to Lloyd Stokes at lestokes8@cs.com. A short
paragraph-bio of the member being nominated for the board should also be
submitted to Lloyd. The 3 members retiring from the Board of Directors are:
Kathy Moore, Lloyd Stokes and Judy Clevenger (our bylaws allow one to serve for
a maximum of 6 consecutive years.) The 3 members who were elected to serve only
l year (filling in for board members who left) are Sheila Hutchison, Anne
McBride and Dave Miller. Anyone who would like a copy of the bylaws should
contact Lloyd Stokes.
Archive Committee Chair, Dave Miller reported the Archive Committee members have
been sorting items in the building for the last several weeks.
Keith McDaniel reported the Convention and Visitors Bureau has now moved into
the building. Nicky Reynolds of the CVB office conducted a tour of the CVB
offices at the end of the meeting.
Harold Jernigan, Membership Chair, reported we now have 182 members. A
membership list is available to any member who would like one.
ORHPA Monthly Meeting - October 11, 2007 page 2
Keith McDaniel introduced our guest speaker for the evening, City Historian and
ORHPA Board Member, Bill Wilcox. Bill’s topic for the evening was, “ORHPA’s 2007
Historic Properties and Heritage Tourism Priorities.”
Bill Wilcox commented that one of ORHPA’s founders, Mick Wiest, the Chair of the
ORHPA Historic Properties Committee, has led the effort to present heritage
awards to owners of original Manhattan Project buildings in our community that
have been well maintained over the years.
Bill described how this past August 23-24, Keith McDaniel and Bill traveled to
Washington, D.C. to represent ORHPA at the Energy Communities Alliance Meeting.
The E.C.A. is made up of organizations from Oak Ridge, Los Alamos, NM and
Hanford, WA that are working to preserve and protect parts of their physical
heritage left over from the Manhattan Project. The E.C.A. contact person here in
Oak Ridge is Dr. Amy Fitzgerald of the city staff. Amy invited Keith and Bill to
participate in the meeting. The report from Oak Ridge was presented in several
parts. Council woman Jane Miller spoke about the Secret City Festival, Nicky
Reynolds from the CVB spoke about the Heritage Tourism Implementation Plan and
Keith McDaniel and Bill Wilcox presented the ORHPA report.
The agenda at E.C.A.’s meeting was to learn how to communicate better with the
Atomic Heritage Foundation. An open dialogue on each community’s activities and
priorities was sought. Each community presented a report at the meeting.
Oak Ridge was the only city of the three at the meeting that is an official
“Preserve America” community. The E.C.A. meeting participants were told how
ORHPA has been working with the CVB and the City, for several years, to help
promote heritage tourism. ORHPA has taken the lead role for the past four years
in working with DOE to preserve a remnant of the massive K-25 Building (the
north building), a “Manhattan Project Signature Facility” for heritage tourism.
This is the Partners for K-25 Preservation project. ORHPA is proactive in
working with all groups (DOE, Bechtel Jacobs, the CVB and the City) to preserve
and promote tourism of our unique heritage and its remaining facilities.
At the E.C.A. meeting, ORHPA’s priorities, those of Mick Wiest’s committee, were
presented - chosen on the basis of urgency – the ones we are most at risk of
loosing. These have also been accepted by the ORHPA board. The priorities are:
1. The Historic Guest House (Alexander Inn). It is in very bad condition.
Privately owned – but since we started creating publicity about it, several
people have looked at it seriously. (Mick’s committee placed ads in the
“Preservation” magazine last year listing the property.)
2. The K-25 U Building – west wing will come down next spring, it is in very bad
condition (will take about l year to do.) Then east wing comes down. Bechtel
Jacobs is now estimating the cost at about 757 million (4 years ago it was about
400 million.)
3. NOAA Building – owned by DOE – planning to be transferred to Dept. of
Commerce – in danger of becoming a shopping area, in great shape both
ORHPA Monthly Meeting October 11, 2007 page 3
internally and externally. This was a public health center during WWII. We need
to watch and act to make sure it is saved or moved if shopping centers take
priority over its location. Mick’s committee gave an ORHPA Heritage Award to
this building last month.
4. TEC Medical Building – 15 years ago 96 buildings met the criteria for the
Nat. Reg. of Historic Places at Y-12 – now only 3 are still standing. We are
trying to pressure NNSA and Y-12 to save the 3 remaining. This building is now
vacant and needs to be maintained or it will be lost.
5. Y-12 Beta 3 Calutrons (Little Boy)
6. 9731 Building at Y-12 – has 2 sets of big magnets in it. This was the first
building finished at Y-12.
7. X-10 Graphite Reactor – At risk – in the pathway of new campus area being
built at X-10. This is a National Treasure – is in good condition but so far we
do not have assurances that DOE wants to save it. They are talking about
planning to center it in a History Park. Mick’s committee is considering
retiring it from the list.
We need to keep the focus and pressure on this list of 7 buildings.
Last week the Heritage Preservation Committee looked at the west half of Abilene
Hall Dormitory which is attached to Glenwood Baptist Church. The roof is in good
condition and the appearance is still nearly authentic. The church is interested
in disposing of the building. They would like to facilitate it to someone who
can maintain it properly.
Frank Munger wrote a front page editorial for the “Knoxville News Sentinel” on
the list of 7 priorities several weeks ago. There were also articles in “The Oak
Ridge Observer” and “The Oak Ridger.” All of these articles gave us great
publicity and helped to support our goals. We need to do everything we can to
continue the great publicity.
ORHPA’s Tourism Priorities (presented at the E.C.A. Meeting) are:
1. Oral Histories – we need to capture as many as possible and make them as
accessible as possible
2. Partner with the CVB and the City – on the city’s new Heritage Tourism
Implementation Plan, the annual Secret City Festival and the celebration of the
City’s 50th birthday in 2009/2010 (we became an official city separate from the
Atomic Energy Commission on March 19, 1949.) ORHPA is planning to reprint the
book written by Fred Ford and partner called “A City is Born.” - in time for the
celebration
3. Historical Kiosks– visitors can visit actual place items (with a short story
and photos) perhaps cost $15,000 a piece – vandal and weather proof – 5 for city
locations to begin (Jackson Square, Grove Center, Middletown, East Village and
West Village)
ORHPA Monthly Meeting October 11, 2007 page 4
4. Historical Markers – tell a story in 150-200 words (these are walk bys) – for
places that exist as well as places that are gone (e.g. Happy Valley)
5. Historical Building Markers - similar design on each – similar design theme
to walk-by markers and kiosks – attractive and classy looking – add to gradually
6. Historic Building Plaques – labels on original buildings – attractive and
same theme as above – we have a list of 30 to begin with (example: Col. Nichols
home on Olney Lane) -like to do several to begin to excite public and visitors
ORHPA’s Concerns:
1. We need NPS National Historic Landmark Designations for K-25, Y-12 “Signature
Facilities” – we have 1, need 4
2. We need NPS National Historic Places Designations - Now have 9 – will apply
for more
3. Need a C.E.W. Map – then and now
4. To improve the entrance road to the African Burial Ground (Slave Cemetery)-
buses can not make a right hand turn when coming from west – to sharp a turn –
need gravel fill in
ORHPA is working on a master list of historic properties in our community. We
will be adding it to our website at www.ORHPA.com in the near future.
Implementation of our tourism priorities must be gradual in terms of funding and
manpower. We will need a community effort to accomplish our goals and probably
will be applying for- utilizing grant monies for much of the work. We will also
need ideas from community members for markers placement, right of way questions
and correct information for the stories to be told. Please contact Mick Wiest if
you would like to help with the information or be on his committee.
Bill Wilcox reported that the people at Hanford can not do anything with their
“B Reactor” for 75 years. They are taking visitors there by bus. When they
announce a bus trip, the list fills up in 5 minutes. They have 5 cities working
together on their heritage activities and they are all on the same letterhead.
They have a “Reach Museum” and are very active in getting memberships in their
organizations.
At Los Alamos there are very few buildings left, just a few remains of temporary
buildings. They have the Oppenheimer House as a tourist attraction. They do have
a large number of memberships in their heritage organization.
Comments were made that a grant application made by the Convention and Visitors
Bureau is currently underway for funding for the Oak Ridge Heritage Tourism
Plan. The meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m. Thank you to Heidi and Dave Miller for
preparing the refreshments.
Minutes Respectfully Submitted,
Anne McBride, Secretary,
Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association
October 21, 2007
