FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 20, 2002
FY02-43
ORAU Laying the Foundation for the Future
OAK RIDGE, TENN --Hundreds of guests are expected on the main campus of Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) on Wednesday, August 21.They’ll be gathered to celebrate the start of a new 55,000-square-foot office building. ORAU, which employs more than 400 staff members in Oak Ridge, is expected to begin construction in September.
This new building will house some key ORAU operations. Staff working under ORAU’s contract with the Department of Energy in health risk communication, emergency preparedness, and peer review of research activities will be moving to this new, state-of-the-art facility. ORAU will also move its computer operations and management of the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program to the new facility. The current timetable calls for completion in December 2003.
ORAU’s investment in a new building is an essential step toward achieving facility consolidation and modernization for DOE’s Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. ORAU has been working closely with DOE’s Oak Ridge Operations Office on plans to consolidate ORISE operations at the Scarboro site on Bethel Valley Road and at the ORAU main campus on Badger Avenue.
With an estimated total project cost of $8.5 million, this facility will include offices for more than 150 staff, training space, and a computer center. The new building will also be directly connected to the existing Pollard Auditorium and Office Administration Building.
“This is a pivotal point for ORAU . . . a key, critical investment in the future,” said ORAU President Ron Townsend. “This investment reflects our unwavering confidence in the future of our employee workforce, our community, and our partnership with DOE and other key stakeholders.”
With 30 acres in the heart of Oak Ridge, ORAU currently has three buildings being used to house ORAU corporate operations and work done as part of ORAU’s contract with the Department of Energy.
The original Central Administration Building and Energy Building were constructed in 1959 and 1962.Pollard Auditorium and Meeting Center was completed in 1982.
ORAU has entered into an agreement with Partners and Associates, Inc., a Knoxville development firm, to oversee the 16-month project.
Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) is a university consortium leveraging the scientific strength of 86 major research institutions to advance science research and education by partnering with national laboratories, government agencies, and private industry. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the U.S. Department of Energy.