Anderson County Commission Update

By Josh Anderson, Chairman, Anderson County Commission – Reprinted from the Norris Bulletin

The Anderson County Commission voted to appoint Oak Ridger Aaron Wells to the District 6 Commissioner seat to replace Catherine Denenberg, who resigned last month. Six people applied for and were interviewed by the commission during its May 15th meeting. Wells received 10 votes on the first round of voting, easily surpassing the 8 votes which were needed to confirm a commissioner and eliminating the need for further rounds of voting. District 6 covers the west end of Oak Ridge, including the Scarborough Community. Wells said he plans to run for the seat during the special election for the seat next August and in 2026 when the original term would’ve expired. There will also likely be a primary for the seat, which will be held in March of next year during the presidential primary.

County Commission also approved a sales contract between the Anderson County Board of Education and Christ Fellowship Church for the church’s property located at 105 Fellowship Lane to be used as the site for the new Claxton Elementary School. Commission also approved the budget transfer within the
school system’s budget for the $3,200,000 needed for the purchase price and closing costs on the 29.37
acre parcel. The church building itself, which is 27,800 square feet and was built in 2002, is roughly a quarter of the total square footage needed for the school. Anderson County Director of Schools, Dr. Tim Parrott, said the school board’s plan is to sell the 12 acres of property with the Life Development Center in Oak Ridge, as well as apply approximately two million dollars from the school system’s fund balance toward the overall cost of the construction project, which is estimated to cost over $20,000,000. Dr. Parrott also expressed hope that County Commission would be willing to commit an additional three million dollars to the project in exchange for taking possession of the current 17-acre Claxton Elementary campus located at the intersection of 25W and Edgemoor Road. That proposal will come before the budget committee in June.