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Council schedules special meeting and seeks MOU with state to abrogate airport property for Oklo, TDOT offered to fund Blair Road reroute
Summary
City manager asked council for a special called meeting to move forward with abrogation of airport property so it can be deeded to Oklo; staff recommended an MOU with the state to define fund flows and said the Tennessee Department of Transportation offered to fully fund and manage a Blair Road reroute tied to the project.
Oak Ridge city staff urged council to hold a special called meeting before the next work session to conclude steps on abrogating airport property to allow it to be deeded to Oklo, a proposed developer for a portion of the former K-25 site.
Staff said the state has offered to fund the abrogation so the property could be deeded to Oklo and recommended negotiating a memorandum of understanding to define how funds would flow. The city manager also told council that TDOT has an application to realign Blair Road for industrial economic-development projects and has agreed to cover 100% of the cost and manage the project; the realignment would shift Blair Road to the end of the property and tie into the Turnpike, with DOE potentially realigning Hall Road as part of the project.
Council members requested that the city protect historic resources in the affected area, specifically the foundation of the Wheat School, and asked staff to ensure signage and interpretation of local history are included. Staff said the developer had offered parking and interpretive signage to recognize Wheat community history.
Council agreed to consider scheduling a special meeting to meet abrogation timeframes; staff said they would pursue an MOU with the state and return with details.
Next steps: staff to draft an MOU with the state outlining fund flows, bring proposed MOU and schedule for a special called meeting prior to the council work session, and coordinate with TDOT and DOE on road realignment and historic-preservation measures.
