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Jack Suggs
Oak Ridge Electric Director Jack Suggs has been promoted to deputy city manager. He will start his new job Monday, March 8.
In his new position, Suggs will help with several projects, including the new water plant, economic development projects, computer software, and the transfer of the Oak Ridge Airport project, the city said in a press release.
Suggs’ promotion will allow other potential leaders to advance, most immediately in the Oak Ridge Electric Department, the press release said. Ardo Ba, who is currently the department’s electric operations manager, will serve as interim electric director.
Oakridger
TVA has put a concrete barrier around a transmission tower and moved it further away from the road to prevent it from toppling over again and causing another power outage like the massive one last month.
Most Oak Ridge residents lost power after a pickup truck with a trailer hit the TVA electrical transmission tower at the intersection of South Illinois Avenue/state Highway 62 and Union Valley Road on Jan. 22.
“TVA will not lose focus on actions currently underway to address your concerns associated with this outage,” TVA President Jeff Lyash said in a letter to Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch and City Manager Mark Watson.
City answers utility billing questions
Oakridger
Citizen complaints about new city utility billing dates have led to discussion by Oak Ridge City Council, but no changes have been made.
Oak Ridge Electric Director Jack Suggs recently gave what he said were the reasons behind the change in billing dates and the city’s inflexibility regarding the dates at a work session.
Earlier he said customers were “confused or in some cases angry because of the billing changes.”
The City Council heard from one such citizen during one of its recent meetings.
Oak Ridge resident Raymond Mitchell told Council during the time for citizen comments that he is on a fixed income and his check comes in one day after the bill is due.