The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is getting a face-lift ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary. President Donald Trump plans to coat the bottom of the pool with an “industrial grade” swimming pool coating in the hue “American flag blue.”
The president announced the plan at an event in the Oval Office on Thursday. He said the project was already underway, The Associated Press reported. The coating will cover the decades-old granite that currently lines the pool.
Trump said he began the project when a friend visiting from Germany remarked that the water in the pool looked dirty. He said that replacing the granite would have cost about $301 million and take at least three years. The new coating will cost around $1.5 million and be completed in about a week.
He said he initially wanted to paint it teal “like in the Bahamas,” but a contractor suggested the “American flag” color instead.
The Reflecting Pool underwent a major, $34 million renovation in 2012 and has had some minor repairs since then, including periodic cleanings to remove debris and algae, CBS News reported.
This is one of several construction and renovation projects happening in DC in the lead-up to the America250 celebrations. The administration has announced plans for a towering new arch and a controversial renovation of the White House’s East Wing.
Plus, a portion of the walkway near the Tidal Basin has reopened after seawall reconstruction. And the Lincoln Memorial’s undercroft has been renovated and will soon be open for visitors.
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
