Contractor said Reflecting Pool damage stemmed from repairs, NYT reports

WASHINGTON, Sept 11 (Reuters) – The contractor responsible for renovating the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington told U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration that errors in its work and flaws in the repair plan caused the pool’s liner to peel and break loose, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing documents it reviewed.

Trump has repeatedly blamed problems with the newly renovated pool, including its new blue paint peeling off, on vandalism.

According to the New York Times, citing the documents, Atlantic Industrial Coatings found problems in the design and execution of the renovation. 

Workers did not spray enough primer in some areas, the contractor said in the cited documents, and layers of the liner included incompatible chemicals. The bottom layer blistered and loosened as the chemical on top reached a hotter temperature than the one underneath could withstand, the New York Times said.

The documents include the contractor’s reports to the government and daily progress updates from the National Park Service over the past two months, the New York Times said.

Atlantic Industrial Coatings did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“President Trump promised to make D.C. safe and beautiful, and he’s delivering,” said Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman. “For years, the Reflecting Pool sat neglected, plagued with algae, and leaking millions of gallons of water. Fixing it was common sense. It’s another example of President Trump restoring our nation’s capital for the American people.”

A Department of the Interior spokesperson in a statement reiterated that the pool was damaged by vandalism, adding that the contractor was obligated to fix the pool.

“Like any major construction project … there are always parts of a project where a contractor returns to make sure the work is perfect.

“And in this case, with the major vandalism of long razor-blade gashes, the contractor is also replacing the sections of the pool damaged by vandals, who also repeatedly reached into the pool and ripped at the coating,” the spokesperson said.

The Trump administration fast-tracked a renovation of the Reflecting Pool ahead of the nation’s Fourth of July celebrations, at a cost of about $14.7 million.

Within weeks an algae bloom developed and material at the bottom of the pool started peeling off. Federal authorities subsequently charged former U.S. Olympian David Hearn and others with vandalism.

But the Justice Department moved to drop the case against Hearn in July, acknowledging that the damage to the pool was caused by flawed work performed by the renovation contractor.

(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)