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New $450,000 cabin to serve Oak Ridge National Laboratory groupsOAK RIDGE, Nov 15, 2010 (The Knoxville News-Sentinel - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The latest modernization project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is surely the most unusual. UT-Battelle, the government's managing contractor at ORNL, has built a $450,000 cabin in the woods east of the lab campus with a view of Melton Hill Lake. According to lab spokesman Billy Stair, the 2,800-square-foot cabin will be used for day retreats and meetings, where folks can get away from their phones and other distractions. "It's a place that lends itself to that kind of meeting," he said. Stair said UT-Battelle paid for the cabin with money from the UT-Battelle Development Corp., the nonprofit entity that has arranged some of the privately financed facilities at the U.S. Department of Energy site. No federal funds were used in the construction of the cabin, but it now belongs to the federal government, Stair said. "DOE owns the cabin, which is and will remain federal property," he said. The lakeside retreat, known as the UT-Battelle Cabin, will be available for use by laboratory staff and DOE officials, Stair said. There are no overnight accommodations at the three-room cabin, so it will not compete with local lodging, he said. There is room for groups up to about 50, he said. "The cabin is an effort by UT-Battelle to provide a lasting contribution to the staff of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Department of Energy for their partnership over the past decade," Stair said. UT-Battelle, a partnership of the University of Tennessee and Battelle Memorial Institute, has managed the Oak Ridge lab since 2000. During a visit to Oak Ridge in March, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced a new five-year contract extension for UT-Battelle. While no federal funds were used to construct the cabin, Stair said DOE paid for furnishings, some site preparation and for putting gravel on the road leading to the wooded site. Department of Energy spokesman John Shewairy said DOE approved UT-Battelle's cabin project, which was constructed on federal property. "We appreciate these types of corporate investments," Shewairy said. "They facilitate the mission of the lab, and this particular facility will do so for years to come." The facility, which features one main meeting room and two smaller meeting rooms, as well as a kitchen prep area, was designed and constructed by Blue Ridge Log Cabins, the lab spokesman said. Senior writer Frank Munger may be reached at 865-342-6329. To see more of The Knoxville News-Sentinel or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.knoxnews.com. Copyright (c) 2010, The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Tenn. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. |