A prime contractor with national credentials has been selected for the first phase of the Lake Source Cooling project, construction of the transmission pipeline between the Cornell University campus and Cayuga Lake. The contractor has announced that a prominent Ithaca-based firm will be a major subcontractor.

The prime contractor, Barnard Construction of Bozeman, Mont., was chosen after three finalists were invited to send representatives to Ithaca last month to make presentations and respond to questions about aspects of their bids.

"We're very pleased," said Frank Perry of Cornell's Department of Planning, Design and Construction, the project engineer who will oversee the construction of the transmission piping. "All three contractors had good construction plans but Barnard, as a company, definitely stood out."

Established in 1975, Barnard specializes in utility pipeline and dam construction. It has been ranked second nationally as a utility specialty contractor and fifth in dam construction by Engineering News-Record magazine. Clients that have praised Barnard include two federal agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture. The firm is also familiar with campus issues. One of its neighbors in Bozeman is Montana State University, which hired Barnard to construct a $6.1 million utility tunnel.

"Barnard has an exceptional safety record, and we have established a reputation of project completions ahead of schedule," said Dan Schall, who will head the contractor's Lake Source Cooling team in Ithaca. "We will use local businesses and suppliers to furnish materials and services on the LSC project and will hire qualified local workers and subcontractors wherever possible to assist in construction of the project."

Barnard has engaged Paolangeli Contractors of Ithaca as a major subcontractor. Barnard will construct the pipeline from the edge of the Cornell campus to a heat exchange facility near the lake shore and supervise work by Paolangeli on campus. Paolangeli has retained another Ithaca-based company, A.J. Eckert, as its mechanical subcontractor. All three companies will use union labor from the Ithaca area, as specified in the university's contract with Barnard, pursuant to a standing agreement Cornell has with the local building trades council.