President Donald Trump announced renovations late last month for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
The reflecting pool, which has long been laden with leaks, algae and other problems, will be cleaned, repaired and coated with an industrial-grade waterproof coating.
“It never looked great,” said Trump, “because (granite) is not really meant to be a stone that’s underwater for that much of a period of time.”
During the announcement, posted to the White House newsroom site, Trump claimed that the project would take two weeks and cost roughly $1.8 million.
Reports show that the costs of the renovation have climbed to nearly $15 million.
The company completing the renovation, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, received a no-bid contract for the project. It has previously worked on Trump’s National Golf Club in Virginia.
The pool will painted a color called American flag blue.
This is the most recent example of major construction projects that Trump has undertaken in the nation’s capital.
What changes are being made?
The reflecting pool, which was finished in 1923, has long been riddled with leaks and other problems.
During former President Barack Obama’s first term, his administration spent $34 million making substantial repairs to the pool. The problems persisted, however, and the National Park Service has to regularly clean the pool.
The firm contracted to work on the pool has already completed a draining and cleaning of the pool. They are also fixing leaking joints and repainting the surface of the pool.
The changes are set to be completed before the America 250 celebration on July Fourth of this year.
Controversy behind the no-bid contract
The color and cost of the pool, and the no-bid status of the contract, has led to some pushback.
A historic preservation group has launched a lawsuit calling for an imminent halting of the project.
Citing the National Historic Preservation Act, the group argues that by painting it blue, the project alters the “historic character of the Reflecting Pool.”
“There was a time in history when the base of this reflecting pool was asphalt black,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in response to criticism. “(The new color) reflects the patriotic nature of our country.”
From the Oval Office, Trump announced that the company who received the contract was one he had previously worked with on the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.
After inspecting the pool himself, Trump said, “Over the years as a developer I have probably built more than 100 swimming pools.”
“I have a guy,” continued Trump, “who is unbelievable at doing swimming pools.”
Before meeting with his pool guy, Trump said that they came up with the plan as an alternative to a $300 million reconstruction of the reflecting pool.
Typically, the federal government is required to seek competing offers. The Trump administration bypassed this requirement by citing an exemption for emergency situations. The emergency situation is understood to be the America250 celebration.
Trump also said that the project would be completed for close to $1.5 million. That figure has now grown close to $15 million, sparking additional scrutiny of the contract.
Other renovations being made for America’s 250th
The renovation on the reflecting pool is the newest project in Trump’s long list of renovations in Washington, D.C.
One of the most notable additions will be Trump’s White House ballroom extension, which is set to be finished before the end of 2028.
Trump has also added his full name to both the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts and the U.S. Institute.
The largest proposal may be the president’s Triumphal Arch, deemed by some the “Arc de Trump.” The approved project will construct a large white arch directly across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial.
Other changes to the nation’s capital include renaming the Department of War (previously Department of Defense), acquiring and updating golf courses, and repainting the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
“I want to keep our country beautiful and safe,” Trump told reporters.