[unav_all] SAFOD operations and maintenance

[Meghan Miller]

UNAVCO Community,

I am writing to tell you of a change in the plan for Operations and  
Maintenance for the EarthScope Program.

Earlier this year, the SAFOD leadership approached NSF and the  
EarthScope Management Team (EMT) with a proposal that Stanford  
University withdraw from the O&M phase of SAFOD, and a request to  
develop an alternate plan for operations and maintenance.  Because of  
the timing (after review of the EarthScope O&M proposal was complete)  
it was not possible to add new institutions to the EarthScope O&M  
award in a PI role.  The SAFOD leadership was asked to prepare an  
alternate plan given this constraint.

After consultation, SAFOD recommended that UNAVCO (1) manage the  
subcontractors carrying out the SAFOD O&M activities, (2) provide an  
organizational home for a SAFOD Advisory Committee, and (3)  manage  
the plan for drill string instrument replacement, now scheduled for  
2013.

After review by the EMT and approval by the UNAVCO Board, NSF accepted  
this recommendation and directed the O&M award for SAFOD subcontractor  
tasking and management to UNAVCO.   There is no change in the fiscal  
constraints or scope of activities due to this transition.  The timing  
of the drill string replacement schedule continues to be budget  
constrained.  Any plans for new EarthScope instruments, technology  
development, or enhanced monitoring would need to come forward in a  
new proposal.

We express our great thanks to the SAFOD team for their exceptional  
efforts under the MREFC phase of EarthScope.  I am particularly  
grateful to the EMT and to NSF for ensuring a smooth transition to  
EarthScope O&M.  We look forward to working with the SAFOD community  
on this project.

Regards,

Meghan


**********************
M. Meghan Miller
President, UNAVCO
6350 Nautilus Drive
Boulder, CO  80301

Voice:  303/381-7514
By cell:  720/320-0026
Fax:  303/381-7501
meghan at unavco.org