Image@ BBC
The renovation and painting project for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, initially estimated by President Donald Trump to cost up to $2 million, has now ballooned to a staggering $13.1 million, according to federal records.
The no-bid contract was awarded to a Virginia-based firm, raising concerns among critics who argue that the decision circumvented federal regulations requiring competitive bidding.
The choice has led to a lawsuit from a nonprofit organization seeking to halt the renovations. The group contends that President Trump overlooked laws designed to protect historical landmarks from significant alterations.
The restoration efforts commenced last week as part of President Trump’s initiative to enhance the aesthetics of the U.S. capital in anticipation of the country’s 250th birthday celebrations this summer.
The Cultural Landscape Foundation filed its legal action on Monday, urging a judge to stop the renovations.
The lawsuit states, “Every day that the resurfacing continues, the historic character of the Reflecting Pool is being further and fundamentally altered.”
When questioned about the project on Tuesday, President Trump remarked that “for the first time since 1922 the reflecting pool is going to work properly.”
The pool underwent a $34 million renovation between 2010 and 2012 during Barack Obama’s presidency, which included a new circulation and filtration system. However, issues such as leaks and algae growth persisted even after that extensive work.
The new contract stipulates that the renovation will be completed by May 22, significantly ahead of schedule, just in time for America’s semiquincentennial celebration on July 4.
Stretching 2,030 feet (620 meters) between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, the pool has long suffered from leaks, structural damage, defective pipes, algae proliferation, and bird droppings.
The Trump administration awarded a $6.9 million contract to a favored vendor using an emergency exemption. The Department of the Interior, responsible for managing natural resources and cultural heritage in the U.S., granted the contract to Atlantic Industrial Coatings.
On Tuesday, President Trump attempted to distance himself from the contract, asserting that the work would address leaks in the reflecting pool rather than merely serving as a cosmetic paint job.
He stated on his Truth Social platform that he “didn’t give out the contract” and that the Department of the Interior selected a contractor he was unfamiliar with.
However, in remarks made last month, President Trump indicated that he dismissed bids for fixing the reflecting pool because he had “a better way of doing it” that would cost between $1.5 million and $2 million.
”I said, what we’re going to do is I’m going to call all three of these people that have worked for me in the past, doing swimming pools,” he noted on April 23.
Last week, the President visited the site to inspect the drained pool firsthand.
The project is part of a series of initiatives President Trump has undertaken since returning to Washington, including plans for a 250-foot victory arch, demolition of the White House East Wing to construct a ballroom, and lending his name to institutions like the Kennedy Center and Institute of Peace.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong