Cornell's Board of Trustees authorized a total of over $4 million to cover the research, land purchase, and permitting costs in two preliminary phases of the project. The final authorization to complete design and construction was received from the university after the completion of the Environmental Impact Statement and receipt of critical permits in Janurary of 1998.
The project proceeded as follows:
- Phase I, Preliminary Studies and Conceptual Design (1994-1995) was undertaken by consulting teams and Cornell's Department of Utilities.
- Phase II, Schematic Design and Permitting (beginning in 1996) established a formal LSC Project team within the Utilities Department. A full-time project manager and administrative support were assigned to the project, along with many other university employees and departments participating on a part-time basis. Two contracts of over $1 million each were awarded to Stearns & Wheler of Cazenovia, NY, for the environmental impact study and permits, and to Gryphon International Engineering Services of St. Catharine's, Ontario, for engineering.
- Phase III, Final Design and Construction (1998-2000), dedicates additional personnel to the project. Consultants and construction managers were hired, as appropriate, to supplement regular full-time staff. Gryphon International, which has successfully engineered most of Cornell's utility projects since 1985, has continued as principal engineers and used subconsultants as needed. Stearns & Wheler continued as environmental engineers and were supplemented by others after approval of the Environmental Impact Statement and permits to assure environmental compliance with those permits. The three major work elements - the lake-water loop, the heat exchange facility, and the chilled-water loop to campus - each demand very different expertise. Chilled-water pipe and some of the major equipment have been prepurchased to control quality, schedule, and price.
