One of Washington's most iconic monuments is getting a rushed makeover in time for the nation's 250th birthday celebration, but union officials and observers say workers may be putting themselves at serious risk to meet an aggressive July 4 deadline.
The reflecting pool on the National Mall, the historic backdrop for Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 "I have a dream" speech, was drained and fenced off this year after Donald Trump ordered repairs to finally solve decades of leaks and algae blooms. The Trump administration awarded a no-bid contract to Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings and directed the firm to repaint the pool's floor "American flag blue."
But the project has quickly become a flash point for scrutiny. The pool, a Washington fixture since 1922, now sits behind black tarps while crews rush to finish work that union representatives say may be cutting corners on worker safety.
Herbert Zaldivar, business development director for the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, visited the site last week and flagged serious concerns. He said workers appeared fearful of discussing conditions and that the compressed timeline creates pressure to skip proper safety protocols.
"The chemicals are hazardous," Zaldivar said. "My concern is the level of risk when it's rushed. Are workers taking the rightful steps to protect themselves?"
The project's troubled trajectory extends beyond safety worries. The New York Times reported that Interior Department staff complained of bubbles and small holes in waterproofing layers and uneven blue coloring on the pool floor. The original May 22 completion deadline also appears to be slipping.
Perhaps most striking: the contract's actual cost ballooned to $13.1 million, far exceeding the $1.8 million Trump initially cited to journalists. Atlantic Industrial Coatings had never before landed a federal contract and is listed as a woman-owned company on its website.
The no-bid award raised questions about procurement practices. Zaldivar noted that union-affiliated firms were shut out of competition entirely. "It's very rare that a job like this, which is a publicly funded contract, doesn't go through competitive bidding," he said. Federal rules do allow no-bid contracts when competition would cause "serious injury" to the government, though that standard is not typically applied to pool renovation projects.
When asked about the work, a company supervisor on site declined comment and deferred to the National Park Service.
The Interior Department pushed back against criticism, calling accusations without merit and noting that Trump had vowed to complete the job successfully. The department referenced a previous Obama-era repair effort that cost over $35 million and required 18 months before failing shortly after completion.
The rushing work has drawn concern from more than just union watchers. Al Havinga, a retired EPA official cycling near the Lincoln Memorial, expressed alarm about volatile organic chemicals in the coating materials. "There's no consideration to the risk to the public in applying this stuff," he said. "It's opaque."
Tourists touring the cordoned-off site expressed frustration. Michelle Criswell, an African American federal employee from Oklahoma City, said the tarp-covered pool felt like an affront to the site's historical significance in the civil rights movement. "I came here for the history and had been looking forward to seeing this site, and that's what I see: a row of black tarp," she said.
Trump has since distanced himself from Atlantic Industrial Coatings, contradicting his earlier public statements by claiming he had never actually used the company and was not involved in awarding the contract.
Author James Rodriguez: "Racing a historic renovation to meet a political deadline while dodging transparency on cost and worker safety is a formula for disaster, and the public deserves straight answers on what's actually happening behind those tarps."
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