Archive of News Stories about the Ongoing Destruction of Pine Ridge
Ask Incky: Who is logging the hillside on South Illinois near Boeing Road and why? - The Oak Ridger, March 27, 2001. - The first published item that we've been able to find about this project. It doesn't say much, and it does not mention "Pine Ridge."

Rain causes many problems in Anderson County - The Oak Ridger, Monday, July 30, 2001. Heavy rains the previous day had caused flooding in the Marlow area and a serious mudslide from the recently clearcut Pine Ridge. The article says that Assistant Public Works Director John Calvert "said the only serious problem in Oak Ridge was a mudslide on South Illinois Avenue caused from the Pine Ridge development. He said crews used a backhoe to clean up the mud."

Mudslide delays Pine Ridge development - The Oak Ridger, Thursday, August 2, 2001. Discloses the severity of the mudslide:

A mudslide Sunday night along South Illinois Avenue at Pine Ridge caused by last weekend's torrential rainfall has delayed development along the ridge. The mudslide ran down South Illinois Avenue into the intersection with Lafayette Drive and Scarboro Road. Extensive logging on property belonging to Nathaniel Revis created the right conditions for the mudslide leading to a six-hour cleanup effort by city staff.

Public Works Director Gary Cinder said about seven or eight people with dump trucks and other heavy equipment began working around 8 p.m. Sunday to clean up the damage to city property. A couple of people were still working at 2 a.m. Monday along Illinois Avenue. Cinder said the city would issue a bill to Revis for the cost of cleanup, which he said would be "a fair amount" due to the amount of overtime worked.

EQAB: Pine Ridge broke regulations -- Will ask council to investigate - The Oak Ridger, Wednesday, August 8, 2001 - Reports "The Oak Ridge Environmental Quality Advisory Board is asking City Council to investigate a construction project which the board thinks broke state storm-management regulations" because the clearing of Pine Ridge was done without a state stormwater management permit and the developer had not built detention basins prior to clear-cutting the land. However, the Tennessee Department of Conservation did not issue a notice of violation when they visited the site.

Developer says project will pay off for Oak Ridge - Article in The Oak Ridger, Wednesday, August 8, 2001. Tells about Nat Revis' plans for the Pine Ridge site, including his intention to cut up to 70 feet off the ridge.

Ask Incky - The Oak Ridger, Thursday, August 9, 2001 - Apparently there is a firewall between the paper's "Ask Incky" column and the folks who write news, since this question and answer about the logging of the ridge appeared after the story had become hot news.

Cathey Daniels: Just why was ridge clear-cut? - Personal column in The Oak Ridger, Tuesday, August 14, 2001. Describes a visit to Pine Ridge with developer Nat Revis, who showed off the view from the denuded mountain and told about his vision for economic development. The columnist characterizes the encounter as illustrating "the difference between the environmentally conscious and the business conscious."

City seeks look into Pine Ridge - The Oak Ridger, Friday, August 24, 2001. Says that the Environmental Quality Advisory Board, Oak Ridge Regional Planning Commission and city staff are going to investigate aspects of the Pine Ridge situation.

Businessman asks public apology for 'hanging' remark - The Oak Ridger, Friday, August 31, 2001. Nat Revis hires a lawyer to request an apology after a City Council member said: "This operation has made Oak Ridge the laughing stock of the surrounding world. I'd say the comment ... some people would like to see Nat Revis hung by that single, lone, last tree that's up there."

Apology request on Council's agenda - The Oak Ridger, Friday, September 7, 2001

Abbatiello apology 'adequate' - The Oak Ridger, Tuesday, September 11, 2001

Pine Ridge rethought? Resident circulates petition - The Oak Ridger, Wednesday, September 19, 2001 - News story tells about the petition campaign to convince the city to buy back the ridge.

Pine Ridge public trust was violated - The Oak Ridger editorial, Thursday, September 20, 2001, comments about the "unanswered scores of questions as to how city government and a local developer were able to make such a mess of things." States: "Oak Ridgers are angry, as well they should be, about the clear-cutting and severe erosion that has transformed this once beautiful entryway into the city along South Illinois Avenue into an environmental abomination. Our guess is that they will remain angry until they get some straight answers and remedies, which only the City Council can drive."

Drive launched to buy back Pine Ridge - Knoxville News Sentinel, Sunday, September 23, 2001 - News article tells about the petition drive to ask the city to buy Pine Ridge and turn it into a vista park.

Petition drive brings in 200 names in two days - The Oak Ridger, Monday, September 24, 2001

Request made to halt work on Pine Ridge - The Oak Ridger, Tuesday, September 25, 2001

Pine Ridge fiasco begs for some belated answers - Editorial in The Oak Ridger, Wednesday, September 26, 2001

Email shows Oak Ridge quietly transferred Pine Ridge to Industrial Development Board - Sunday, September 30, 2001 - The Knoxville News Sentinel reports on a 1999 e-mail message between Oak Ridge city officials that recommended that the city-owned land be transferred to the IDB for sale to Revis, in part because Revis had said "too much public exposure to his plan would be detrimental to his project's survival."

City Council urged to rescind Pine Ridge permits - Sunday, September 30, 2001 - The Knoxville News Sentinel

Pine Ridge blasting under way - The Oak Ridger, Monday, October 1, 2001

Council to view Pine Ridge today - The Oak Ridger, Monday, October 1, 2001

Council members tour Pine Ridge with Revis - The Oak Ridger, Tuesday, October 2, 2001

Revis defends plans for Pine Ridge - The Oak Ridger, Tuesday, October 2, 2001

Oak Ridge Council surveys development at Pine Ridge - Knoxville News Sentinel, Wednesday, October 3, 2001

Learn the lessons of Pine Ridge and move ahead - Editorial in The Oak Ridger, Wednesday, October 3, 2001

WBIR TV: Oak Ridge Citizens Upset over New Development - Transcript of news story aired on Channel 10 on Thursday, October 4, 2001. Includes a photo.

The Oak Ridger, Friday, October 5, 2001:

Critics say too many questions surround Pine Ridge development - Knoxville News Sentinel, Sunday, October 7, 2001 - In an interview, Bill and Stella Schramm outline the many technical and legal issues surrounding developer Nat Revis' project on Pine Ridge.

OR City Council takes no action on Pine Ridge - The Oak Ridger, Tuesday, October 9, 2001 - Report on the previous evening's meeting.

Citizens speak out on development - The Oak Ridger, Tuesday, October 9, 2001 - Quotations from people who spoke about Pine Ridge at the City Council meeting on October 8.

Answer Pine Ridge nagging legal issues - Editorial in The Oak Ridger, Wednesday, October 10, 2001

Oak Ridge hears complaints about Pine Ridge development - Knoxville News Sentinel, Sunday, October 14, 2001 - News article about the October 8 City Council meeting.

Boyer: Move ahead on Pine Ridge work - The Oak Ridger, Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - News article about City Manager Paul Boyer's memo to City Council.

Pine Ridge critics await Council action - The Oak Ridger, Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - Article about Bill Schramm's criticism of the reasoning in Boyer's memo to City Council.

Mayor says public owed a vote on Pine Ridge - The Oak Ridger, Friday, October 19, 2001 - Article reports that Mayor David Bradshaw wants City Council to vote on the Pine Ridge project at its October 22 meeting, and says that he intends to support City Manager Paul Boyer's recommendation that construction atop the ridge should be allowed to continue.

Boyer memo: Go ahead with Pine Ridge project - Knoxville News Sentinel, Sunday, October 21, 2001 - News article about City Manager Paul Boyer's memo to City Council and Bill Schramm's criticisms of his reasoning.

Council: Move ahead on Pine Ridge - The Oak Ridger, Tuesday, October 23, 2001 - Reports on the City Council's October 22 vote to let the development move ahead without a site plan. Includes Council members' comments.

Editorial: Moving ahead on Pine Ridge, more watchfully - The Oak Ridger, Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - Expresses confidence that City Council and city staff will monitoring and publicly report on Pine Ridge future developments "considerably more thoroughly than seems to have been done in the past."

Pine Ridge development gets nod from Oak Ridge City Council - Knoxville News Sentinel, Sunday, October 28, 2001 - News article about the City Council 6-0-1 vote (Councilman Leonard Abbatiello abstained) to allow the Pine Ridge development project to continue "on the normal site development process."

Ask Incky: Which members of the City Council voted to sell the Pine Ridge property to Nat Revis? Were any opposed? - The Oak Ridger, Thursday, November 1, 2001 - The answer indicates that the August 2, 1999 vote to transfer the Pine Ridge property to the Industrial Development Board was unanimous. Members voting for the transfer were Leonard Abbatiello, David Bradshaw, Walt Brown, Ray Evans, Will Minter, Pat Rush and Jerry Kuhaida.

Revis: Completed Pine Ridge will be appealing - The Oak Ridger, Friday, December 7, 2001 - News article describes some of the statements made during a discussion between developer Nat Revis and the City's Environmental Quality Advisory Board. Further information: EQAB members who participated in the meeting report that Revis said he does not understand why people are upset about his development and that he believes that he did nothing wrong. Also, they said that he refused to listen to advice.

Our View: Public participation, openness essential to city development - The Oak Ridger, Friday, December 7, 2001 - Editorial observes that the Pine Ridge debacle illustrates the need for openness in community economic development. An excerpt:

The Pine Ridge debacle happened because a small group of "leaders" in and out of public office felt they could succeed only by bypassing the usual burdens of public hearings, disclosures and competitive bidding. They were wrong, and the same taxpayers who were cheated out of the public processes from the start will ultimately be asked to foot the bill if this one goes the way critics fear that it could.
Ask Incky - The Oak Ridger, Friday, December 14, 2001 - The second question in the column asks whether Revis plans to store radioactive material on top of Pine Ridge. The answer from the city is that zoning for the property does not allow for the presence of hazardous or radioactive materials. Note: This is an over-simplified interpretation of the zoning -- the zoning would not permit radioactive waste facilities without special review, but facilities located in industrial zones in Oak Ridge can and do routinely store and use radioactive and hazardous materials.



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