Reflecting Pool liner was cut with a sharp knife or razor, National Park Service says

Washington (AFP)– A liner along the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was cut with a sharp knife or razor this month, damaging a sealant installed as part of a $16 million rehabilitation project, a senior National Park Service official said.

U.S. Park Police responded on June 9 to a complaint filed by the park service, said Frank Landes, the park service’s deputy director of operations. Landes made the statement in a court document filed late Wednesday as part of a lawsuit filed by the nonprofit to stop the Trump administration’s work on the project.

His statement did not say exactly when the damage occurred or whether it was a suspected case of sabotage, nor did he identify anyone who might have been involved.

The police report indicates damage to the pool, “including caulking over foam insulation that was cut with a sharp knife or razor and surface material destroyed,” Landes said. About 70 fence post roofs were also thrown into the pool.

The statements are the first time the Republican administration has provided details about when and how the reflective complex may have been damaged after work on the project was largely completed.

The Home Office believed the reported damage was an “isolated incident.”

A Home Office spokesperson said Thursday that public notification of the damage was delayed because “at the time of the June 9 incident, the vandalism was under investigation and believed to be isolated. So as not to encourage disorderly individuals, we did not publicize what we hoped would be an isolated incident.”

Around the same time, park service staff discovered another incident in which the fence around the pool was forcibly removed and thrown into the pool, the spokesperson said in an email.

Management quickly noticed that “repeated instances and videos of people ripping off the paint began circulating. We then learned that this was not an isolated incident, but rather a new trend of attempts to damage the reflecting pool,” the email said.

President Donald Trump and other officials have repeatedly blamed, without providing evidence, unidentified vandals for peeling paint as well as a “350-foot gash” in the liner and other problems. Trump said this week that six people had been arrested, without providing details.

Seven arrests have been made, seven federal citations and 18 police reports have been filed, the Interior Department said Thursday. The department did not specify what the charges were or identify anyone cited by police.

Trump pledged to spruce up the century-old reflecting pool ahead of the country’s 250th birthday celebrations, draining its water and painting its bottom a color he called “American flag blue.” But since the site was restored, its waters have been plagued by algae blooms, and bits of new paint appear to be peeling from the bottom.

His department faces a self-imposed deadline to complete the renovation before the Fourth of July. Trump also said the federal government would release photos to prove his claim.

Trump said on Wednesday that “sick people” used razor blades and box cutters to cut off parts of the lining.

The Reflecting Pool was refilled between June 4th and June 9th

The Associated Press reviewed videos showing the reflecting pool was refilled between June 4 and June 9, meaning the alleged reduction reported to law enforcement on June 9 could have occurred before the pool was fully refilled. Days later, pieces of the new blue lining were observed peeling from the bottom.

Park Police released surveillance footage on Wednesday evening and requested assistance “in identifying the individual depicted here in connection with the investigation into the destruction of government property.” The 30-second video shows a person kneeling, reaching into the reflecting pool and removing an object from the water. Police said it was taken on Friday afternoon.

In his statement to the court, Landes said the parks agency plans to begin draining the reflecting pool after the Independence Day celebrations to make repairs, including assessing and repairing any damage to the liner.

The Park Service completed more than two months of renovations to the Reflecting Pool in early June. The 2,000-foot pool was drained, a colorful plastic-like liner was installed to resist water and protect the pool’s concrete surface, and the pool was refilled with water, Landes said.

The Cultural Landscape Foundation, an education and advocacy group that filed a lawsuit in May to stop work on the project, has asked a federal judge to block further renovations.

“It is not too late to correct course,” the group wrote in a note Monday. She urged the administration to “engage with experts and the public, and make an informed decision about what is best based on consultations required by law, rather than once again rushing forward with immature ideas.”

Democrats demand investigations into pool renovations

Democrats in Congress have called for formal investigations into the complex’s renovations, saying no-bid contracts for the project were awarded to vendors with previous ties to Trump.

Ohio-based Green Water Solutions, also known as Greenwater Services, was awarded a $1.7 million contract to install a water filtration system in the reflecting pool, while Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings was awarded $14.7 million to recoat and waterproof the pool’s concrete floor.

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee that oversees the Interior Department’s budget, said renovating the complex appears to be a waste of taxpayer money.

“After talking about waste, fraud and abuse, Donald Trump spent more than $16 million renovating a reflecting pool that is now peeling and filled with algae,” Merkley said Thursday. He said this was a “colossal waste” of tax dollars and that the public deserved “quick answers and a refund.”

Merkley is one of about 10 Democratic senators and House members investigating the complex project.

“Taxpayers deserve a full explanation of how these failures occurred and who will bear responsibility for correcting them,” said another letter signed by New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich and five other senators.

Heinrich is the top Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which oversees the Interior Department.

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Associated Press writers Michael Konzelman and Michael Biesecker contributed to this report.