Oak Ridge, Tenn. – The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) hosted its annual community budget workshop on April 29. While last year’s meeting focused primarily on building strategic community partnerships to maintain momentum, this year’s edition invited stakeholders to share their priorities for OREM to consider as the organization develops its Fiscal Year 2017 budget.

OREM leadership opened the workshop by listing the organization’s top strategic goals for the next five years and discussing the ongoing projects happening across the Oak Ridge Reservation. Priorities that are guiding cleanup work include:

• Completing demolition of the gaseous diffusion plants and support facilities at the East Tennessee Technology Park
• Completing direct disposition of the U-233 material and planning the processing campaign
• Completing contact and remote-handled transuranic debris processing
• Constructing and operating the TRU sludge mock test facility
• Beginning construction of the Outfall 200 Mercury Treatment Facility at Y-12
• Completing the design of the new Environmental Management Disposal Facility

Then, OREM handed the stage to local government officials and representatives from the Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board, the Oak Ridge Reservation Community Alliance, and the Oak Ridge Partnership, which is a consortium of stakeholder groups with an interest in environmental cleanup. Together, these groups spoke about the interests of local residents and businesses, the city of Oak Ridge, Anderson County, and Roane County.

“This workshop is a sincere effort to know what is most important to stakeholders and area residents,” said OREM Manager Sue Cange. “The support we receive from the community is critical to our success, and we place great value on their perspective and input.”

After hearing each organization’s perspective and reviewing the comments, OREM has added three additional focus areas to its list of priorities. They include:

• Accelerating cleanup and land transfers at the East Tennessee Technology Park to facilitate further reindustrialization at the site
• Meeting historic preservation commitments for inclusion in the proposed Manhattan Project Historic National Park
• Expanding focus on off-site groundwater characterization and actions necessary to reduce impacts on nearby populations

During the comment period, Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank closed by stating, “Allow me to again thank Ms. Cange and her team for this invaluable workshop, and also the opportunity to weigh in as a stakeholder.” She continued, “Your respect and concern for the thoughts and ideas in this community do not go unnoticed.”

For notes and presentations from the workshop, visit: /orem/downloads/orem-hosts-annual-community-budget-workshop