A construction company previously hired to work on the blighted Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool under the Obama administration turned down work for the Trump administration’s renovation because the plans were “unfeasible,” according to a report.
President Donald Trump’s $14 million project, which was supposed to be completed in time for the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations, has run into major problems in recent weeks. The water turned green with algae blooms days after the work was “completed”, dead ducks have been recovered, and blue material has been peeling off from the bottom, prompting Trump to blame vandals and arrest several people.
New Jersey firm Sika Corporation provided construction and sealing products for work on the pool in 2010 under the Obama administration, which spent $34 million at the time, but problems persisted, according to CNN.
Two employees told the network that the company was approached in March to support Trump’s renovation, but the deadline of July 4 and the demand that the pool floor had to be blue rendered the job “unfeasible.”
The company’s previous work on the pool and its decision to turn down the contract following a routine feasibility and risk assessment “could further enflame mounting criticism that the project was rushed and potentially improperly completed,” according to CNN.
Rhino Linings was ultimately awarded the contract and supplied the spray-on lining used to refinish the pool. The company’s vice president recently told Politico that the renovation would not be complete in time for the July 4 celebrations.
The Independent has contacted Sika Corporation for comment. The company did not respond to questions from CNN.
One of the employees told the outlet that the company’s suggested fix of the problem was “complicated and lengthy, not fitting the contractor’s tight timeline of just a few months turnaround.”
There was an issue with the material that would line the pool’s expansion joints — a small gap that allows concrete to expand and contract to account for temperature changes.
The company suggested placing metal on top of the joints and painting it blue, but due to the effects of being submerged in water, the metal could show through and the blue finish would appear inconsistent, the employee said.
It comes as Trump claimed this week that a “300-foot-long gash” had been carved into the bottom of the pool and “chemicals have been illegally placed in the water.”
U.S. Park Police also released footage of a person wanted in connection with the alleged damage.
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