Oak Ridge Town Council approves lease renewal for Youth Association's park maintenance space

The Town of Oak Ridge Town Council convened on July 10, 2025, to address several key agenda items, including the renewal of a lease agreement and discussions on park lighting improvements.

The meeting began with a proposal to renew a lease for approximately 2,000 square feet of space within the Town Park Maintenance Building, which has been utilized by the Oak Ridge Youth Association (ORYA) since February 2011. The original lease, which ran from 2011 to 2021, allowed the ORYA to contribute to the building's enlargement. Following the completion of the lease payments, the town has been renting the space to the ORYA for a nominal fee of $1. The new lease is set to be retroactive to last year and will extend for three years, concluding on June 30, 2027. A public hearing was held, but no comments were made in favor or opposition to the lease. The council unanimously approved the resolution to lease the building to the ORYA.

Following the lease discussion, the council moved on to old business, specifically the reconsideration of the park entrance master plan lighting. This topic was a continuation from the May meeting, where additional proposals were sought. Two proposals were presented: one from Oak Ridge Electric for $44,045 to install bollard lighting, and another from Duke Energy for 14 LED street lights, which would incur a monthly leasing cost of $417 over a minimum of 10 years. A net present value analysis indicated that the Duke Energy proposal would total approximately $96,500 over 25 years, while the Oak Ridge Electric proposal would amount to about $101,000. The council was tasked with deciding which proposal to implement.

The meeting concluded with a reminder about an upcoming event at the Oak Ridge Military Academy and a brief public comment session, which saw no participation. The council will reconvene to further discuss the lighting proposals and other community matters in future meetings.