Crews are draining the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool again as part of Trump’s troubled revamp
WASHINGTON (AP) — Crews are draining sewage again Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Like President Donald Trump’s Troubled efforts to restore waterway It has far exceeded its initial goal of having it ready by July 4 to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday.
The president initially suggested the renovations would take a century. However, the water was cut off a few weeks after the project was completed last month. surrounded by an algae bloom and pieces of the new coating appeared to be peeling off from underneath.
Trump blamed the robbery on vandals, but critics claim it was due to shoddy repair work.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the agency that oversees the National Park Service, told conservative podcast host Katie Miller in an interview published earlier this week that a new round of drainage is planned. He also said the water may still contain debris from a large-scale leak. Independence Day fireworks display On the National Mall.
“Drain the water, clean up the fireworks,” Burgum said to Miller, the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. “Repair vandalism. Refill.”
The work on the Reflecting Pool is just one of many projects Trump is spearheading in the nation’s capital. Most obviously it East Wing of the White House was demolished building a $400 million ballroom and plans to build a high arch Between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
He initially announced his intention to beautify the Reflecting Pool this spring, saying he wanted it completed before the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations.
The water was drained and Trump ordered the bottom painted in what he called “American flag blue.” In May, the president posted on the social media site about the pool: “The goal is to get this done at this higher level before the 4th of July – We are ahead of schedule!”
However, after the initial work was completed, problems quickly began. Trump blames vandals and court documents showed me later This National Park Service reported to US Park Police An incident on June 9 in which a sharp knife or razor cuts through the new lining of the pool.
On Thursday, former Olympic canoe racer David Hearn did not admit his guilt in DC Superior Court for willful damage to the Reflecting Pool. Hearn said he reached into the pool to examine the peeled fill and left a piece behind when a park employee told him to.
His lawyers and other critics of the Trump administration derided the case as an abuse of prosecutorial power and claimed he was being scapegoated for the poor job he did to repair the Reflecting Pool.
At least three other people were charged with misdemeanors in the same court for allegedly removing paint chips from the Reflecting Pool, according to online court records. All three pleaded not guilty at their initial hearings on Wednesday.
The pool was closed for Independence Day celebrations, which Trump said was the largest fireworks display in the world. The president had said the pool would need to be drained again as part of the new round of repairs.
Burgum also said the Trump administration will not seek bids for new rounds of repairs. “We’re going to use the same company because they’ve done a great job,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union” last weekend.
Based in Ohio Green Water SolutionsThe company, also known as Greenwater Services, was awarded a $1.7 million contract to install a water purification system at the Reflecting Pool. Atlantic Industrial Coatings He was awarded $14.7 million to repaint and waterproof the pool’s concrete floor.
Democratic senators and House members are investigating the pool project, including seeking answers about how much taxpayer funding is involved.
