The paint is already peeling in Trump’s renovated Washington Reflecting Pool
By Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON, June 18 (Reuters) – The paint on Washington’s newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was peeling from the bottom and seeping into the moss-colored water on Thursday, less than two weeks after President Donald Trump announced the work was complete.
The historic pool was drained and renovated this year under a $14.7 million no-bid contract as part of Trump’s sweeping plans to rebuild the U.S. capital, including demolishing the East Wing of the White House to make way for a new ballroom and building a massive arch near Arlington National Cemetery honoring the nation’s war dead and other prominent Americans.
Trump announced on June 6 that the work on the pool was completed. On Tuesday, workers began pouring hydrogen peroxide into the pool to combat an algae bloom that turned it green instead of the expected dark blue.
The National Park Service, which operates the National Mall where the pool is located, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which performed the renovations, also did not immediately respond.
Some visitors to the site said they were unimpressed.
“After seeing this, I want my money back. I think our resources could be put to much better use elsewhere,” Robert Dale of Edwards, Colorado, told Reuters. “I think this reflecting pool was beautiful before all this attention.”
Trump has faced criticism for expediting past planning processes to preserve Washington’s carefully designed appearance in his renovation program; He faced criticism from his administration as partisan sniping while praising the real estate developer’s design acumen.
Lawmakers also raised questions about the decision to accept a $400 million plane from Qatar to be pressed into service as Air Force One, carrying the president, his staff, security guards and journalists on trips around the country and the world. Security experts have warned that retrofitting the aircraft would require extensive security upgrades, communications improvements to prevent eavesdropping and missile defense capabilities, all of which would take time and money to install.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington, additional reporting by Greg Savoy; Editing by Scott Malone and David Gaffen)
