Tuesday, April 29, 2008

new 'n' improved WBIR.com

Friends, family, countrymen...


Tonight at midnight, we launch the new 'n' improved WBIR.com. We're all working feverishly to get it up and running, and you can check it out here: beta.wbir.com

I have a special request for those of you who are willing. I'd love to get some discussions underway in our new WBIR.com forums, which I am still building out.

So if you get a minute, pop on over to the WBIR Online Community right
here: http://beta.wbir.com/life/community/forums.aspx

Register (which you do at the top of the page where it says "become a
member") and do some talking. I know you all are good at that.

It's my task to get the forums up and running, and any help you want to give me with getting the conversation going will be most appreciated.

Thanks!

Katie

Monday, April 28, 2008

Home plans unveiled for Groves Park Commons Traditional Neighborhood Development


Builder Mike Stevens and partner Jon Stevens announce home plan designs for the Groves Park Commons Traditional Neighborhood Development.

Oak Ridge, TN. April 28, 2008: Developers of the Groves Park Commons are pleased to announce builder Mike Stevens and his partner and project manager, Jon Stevens, have completed the commission of six innovative Carriage home designs. These unique homes and their variations were designed and are the copyrighted work of Jerry Eschman Custom Home Designs. Mike Stevens Homes, Inc. is considered one of the premier/experienced builders of Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) homes in East Tennessee. The home designs and floor plans can be viewed on the Groves Park Commons website, http://www.grovesparkcommons.com/.

In February 2008, Stevens and the developers of The Groves Park Commons joined forces in creating this Traditional Neighborhood Development located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, after all parties discovered a mutual concern for and regard of the importance of research in new urbanism community developments. Walter Wise, the primary visionary behind the project, says of Stevens, “Anyone can build a home on a small footprint, but not anyone can build on a small footprint and maintain the home features today’s families demand. Mike and his team have somehow managed to get all that right- aesthetics, space, functionality, and privacy. The design encourages community and family. When I saw his homes, I knew he was the builder for us. His extremely well thought out details are what make his homes genius.”

Mike Stevens and Jerry Eschman together have been researching Traditional Neighborhood Developments over the last 15 years. They have made it a point to visit as many TND’s as possible. When it comes to the exterior design of Groves Park Commons, Stevens likes to borrow a line from English philosopher George Moore, “A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.“ All of the home designs have been inspired by the local architecture of East Tennessee. Stevens says, “The beauty of using the local architecture is the homes immediately blend into the community and instantly give a person that comfortable feeling of being at home.” Stevens also explains one of their techniques in building on a small footprint and still providing privacy. Each of the homes has its own courtyard. He refers to the wall from the home that opens up to the courtyard as a “light wall”. The light wall is a quite literal name. This wall of the house gets its primary outdoor light from a “wall” of doors, large windows, etc. that open to a courtyard. He calls the neighboring structure’s wall that is adjacent to the aforementioned courtyard the “dark wall”. This wall has transient windows set high (above eye level) to allow light into the adjacent home, while lending the courtyard privacy. Stevens also explains one of the more popular known facts of a Traditional Neighborhood Development is it must be designed to be a walking community. With this goal in mind, Stevens has required the design of all of the homes to situate the less attractive aspects of home, such as the garages, trash receptacles and utilities, in the back alleyways - thus keeping the front of the homes neat, clean, and beautiful.

Mike Stevens will be building three basic categories of homes for the Groves Park Commons Development. The three types are Estate Homes, Carriage Homes and Cottage Homes. Estate Homes are essentially custom homes over 3,200 square feet. The Carriage homes will be 2,200 to 3,200 square feet and the Cottage Homes will be 1,600 to 2,200 square feet. The floor plans for the Carriage Homes are now complete and available on the Groves Park Commons website. Jerry Eschman Custom Home Designs is scheduled to finish the floor plans for the Cottage homes in May of 2008. Builders Christopoulos & Kennedy will be completing plans for Townhomes designed by Architectural firm Brewer, Ingram, Fuller in late Spring 2008.

Wise is careful to see this neighborhood adheres to all principle design and layout elements of a TND, such as a mandatory requirement for a certain square footage area of communal green space. In fact, Wise increased the already generous required allotment to further embrace the vision. Of this meticulous attention to detail, Wise reflects, “We want to create Oak Ridge’s own little utopia.”

The 325 housing unit development named, “Groves Park Commons” is being constructed on the Old South Hills Golf Course site located at 795 Tuskegee Dr., Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Phase One of the three phase project is underway now, with the expectation that the approximately one hundred units of single family homes and townhomes are to be completed over the next two years.

Groves Park Commons is now actively selling homes. For sales inquires please call Sharon Power, REALTOR® of Realty Executives at (865) 482-3232.
Home rendering by Thomas Payne

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Yikes - Did you see the oil prices this morning?

Nymex Crude Futures Rocket Past $115
International Oil Daily (Thursday, April 17, 2008)Crude prices took another step into uncharted territory Wednesday, hitting yet another all-time high. A weaker dollar and a surprise drawdown in US crude inventories sent Nymex crude futures to a new intraday record of $115.07 per barrel just before the close of floor trading.

[More on Oil Prices here]

[Groves Park Commons Information here]

The Groves Park Commons website has been updated with TND Home Builder Mike Stevens floor plans and pricing. These homes are AMAZING!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Oak Ridge's Keith McDaniel goes hollywood...again!

The Oak Ridge community is full of talent and opportunity. Keith McDaniels is a stellar example consistenly producing and directing award winning films as well as being an amazing performing artist. Recently Keith McDaniels teamed up with director film maker Brooks Benjamin to create, "Boys of Summerville". East Tennessee's very own David Keith even got involved in this one.

Knoxville News Sentinel reports:


Homegrown indie film ready for red carpet
By Betsy Pickle (Contact)Sunday, April 13, 2008


When Brooks Benjamin was shooting "Boys of Summerville" last June in his hometown of Kingston and nearby Harriman, Rockwood, Oak Ridge, Alcoa and Maryville, he was thinking of green outfields, not red carpets.


But Thursday night, Benjamin and his cast and crew will get the Regal treatment when "Boys of Summerville" has its premiere at 7 p.m. at Regal Cinemas' Downtown West theater.


Benjamin, a filmmaker who earns a living as a schoolteacher, had met Regal's Ted Hatfield, director of film marketing, and Jon Douglas, alternative film marketing manager, when he was trying to promote his first independent film, the thriller "Point of Fear." He sent them the trailer for "Boys of Summerville" in hopes of receiving feedback.


Saturday, April 5, 2008

Oak Ridge, The New Sring Break

Crew trains in Tennessee
Team spends spring break in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Kate Neri
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Sports

Every year Skidmore's crew team travels down south for spring break. They don't go as far south as Florida, as many Spring Breakers do; instead they make Tennessee their home for the week. The men and women's teams travel to Oak Ridge, Tennessee for a week of training.

This year the teams stayed at a hotel with close quarters to allow for an optimal team bonding experience. Each day the team had three practices. The first began early in the morning, and although the training aspect of the trip is grueling, the overall consensus from the coach and the captains is that the trip was a success.

[READ MORE HERE]

Friday, April 4, 2008

Koxville News Sentinel Reports on the Southern Appalachian Science and Engineering Fair

Yearly science fair features sister act

Family's beekeeping leads to prizes for two siblings
By J.J. Stambaugh (Contact)Friday, April 4, 2008

An Oak Ridge family's beekeeping led to two sisters taking home prizes Thursday in the 56th Annual Southern Appalachian Science and Engineering Fair.

Elizabeth Sloop, 12, who took home first-place honors in the Junior Division, and her 17-year-old sister, Katharine Sloop, who won second place in the senior division, were inspired by their family's beehives to come up with scientific projects that help illuminate the natural world.

The annual fair was held at Thompson-Boling Arena on the University of Tennessee campus this week and drew hundreds of contestants, judges and onlookers to check out science projects created by students throughout East Tennessee.

[READ THE ENTIRE STORY HERE]