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Eugene

(67,259 posts)
Sat May 9, 2026, 03:02 PM 2 hrs ago

No-bid contract to turn DC's reflecting pool blue goes to firm with ties to Trump

No-bid contract to turn DC’s reflecting pool blue goes to firm with ties to Trump (The Guardian)

A company Trump has used for work at his Virginia golf course was awarded $6.9m to paint the iconic attraction

Donald Trump’s latest beautification plan for Washington DC – the restoration of the 2,000ft-long reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial – has met been with claims that a $6.9m contract to carry out the project was hastily handed out to a company that renovated a swimming pool at the president’s Virginia golf course.

The New York Times reported that the no-bid contract for the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool was given to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, based in New Canton, Virginia, on 3 April – despite company records’ showing it has not previously been awarded a federal contract.

One of the company’s owners, Curtis Wood, declined to comment on the contract to the Times.


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/09/trump-no-bid-contract-lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool
6 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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No-bid contract to turn DC's reflecting pool blue goes to firm with ties to Trump (Original Post) Eugene 2 hrs ago OP
Of course it did. Ocelot II 2 hrs ago #1
It's good to have friends in high places... Some Norrrm 2 hrs ago #2
New Canton is a tiny town in Buckingham County. The crew is saw was from Oklahoma underpants 1 hr ago #3
Whatever happened to the days when you needed several bids? bif 1 hr ago #4
It's leaking. That's the problem. The leaks ruin the foundation. Melon 1 hr ago #5
Ah, the noblesse trickle-down. tanyev 1 hr ago #6

Norrrm

(5,465 posts)
2. It's good to have friends in high places... Some
Sat May 9, 2026, 03:23 PM
2 hrs ago
kickbacks donations don't hurt either.

underpants

(197,048 posts)
3. New Canton is a tiny town in Buckingham County. The crew is saw was from Oklahoma
Sat May 9, 2026, 03:31 PM
1 hr ago

All the videos I saw of him shaking hands with the crew are from MAGA posters on X so won’t post them but their work trailer said Atoka, OK on it.



Maintaining clarity in the pool for it to reflect has been a problem since it was constructed in 1922. It is between 18in and 30in deep, holds about 6.75m gallons of water and has no natural flow. In Washington’s hot, humid summer, the pool turns green with algae.

However, it is not certain that painting the pool blue will fix its major issue: a filtration system that’s not up to the job. The pool may turn green with or without a blue bottom.

“Painting is not going to solve that problem,” Aquatic Council chairperson Tim Auerhahn told the Times. Auerhahn also said that Trump’s decision to visit the pool by motorcade recently may have exacerbated the leaks.

“If it were my project, I’d require an immediate inspection,” Auerhahn added.



bif

(27,161 posts)
4. Whatever happened to the days when you needed several bids?
Sat May 9, 2026, 03:35 PM
1 hr ago

Oh that's right, a felon is now in charge. Taking care of his rich " buddies." But in reality, he doesn't actually have any friends.

Melon

(1,620 posts)
5. It's leaking. That's the problem. The leaks ruin the foundation.
Sat May 9, 2026, 03:38 PM
1 hr ago

Any stagnant pool or pond without a lot chemicals or massive circulation will grow algae. I read the sealant is supposed to stop the water draining thru all the tiny cracks or porous cement.

Maybe not an open bid for something like that but they should have selected the best biggest players and got bids from each. The $300M proposal from Joe’s admin was to fix everything including the foundation. This may or may not work and we don’t know if the price is good.

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