Cultural Landscape Foundation Sues to Halt $1.8 Million Lincoln Reflecting Pool Renovation as Costs Top 7 Times
Updated
Updated · ms.now · May 11
Cultural Landscape Foundation Sues to Halt $1.8 Million Lincoln Reflecting Pool Renovation as Costs Top 7 Times
8 articles · Updated · ms.now · May 11
A federal lawsuit filed Monday asks a judge to stop the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool overhaul, arguing the Trump administration bypassed required preservation and federal review procedures.
The challenge targets a no-bid contract awarded under an emergency-style exemption, even though the contractor had never held a federal contract and had previously worked on a pool at one of Trump's golf clubs.
Trump said the project would cost $1.8 million, but federal records cited by the New York Times show the contract has grown to more than seven times that amount after the Interior Department expanded it.
The suit also disputes the substance of the work: Trump has pushed to paint the pool floor blue, while reports say the renovation does not address the faulty filtration plumbing behind years of leaks and algae blooms.
The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, extends scrutiny of Trump's broader use of no-bid contracts for high-profile Washington renovations, including Lafayette Park fountains whose price rose to $17.4 million.
Can preservation laws halt the Reflecting Pool's makeover before its July 4 completion date?
What precedent could a blue Reflecting Pool set for altering other historic national monuments?