The Reflecting Pool on the National Mall has already begun to grow algae just days after President Donald Trump’s major renovation project was officially completed.
The landmark has been the subject of controversy since the project began, with critics pointing to budget ballooning from a little under $2 million to a staggering $14 million. Trump contracted Atlantic Industrial Coatings for the project to be completed ahead of the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of America.
85 Comments
WhoIzDisIz@lemmy.today · 122 pts · 65d
Scammer surrounds himself with scammers, results predictable AF — news at 11.
Screen_Shatter@lemmy.world · 50 pts · 65d
On one hand its hilariously dumb. On the other hand, fuck dude we could have done anything better with that money.
WhoIzDisIz@lemmy.today · 28 pts · 65d
Sadly, that's a mere drop in the ocean compared to all the money utterly wasted and pilfered by this so-called "administration."
Screen_Shatter@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 65d
I mean, I know that, but its not nothing either. Just because part of the world is on fire doesnt mean you let all of it burn
WhoIzDisIz@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 65d
Sorry - I wasn't trying to be dismissive. It was more an expression of disgust and frustration at it all.
Screen_Shatter@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 65d
All good. I get it. Theres a lot of that frustration going around
Tollana1234567@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 65d
that 178mil for 2 jets just glossed over everyone heads. as was BARRON trump who has no work experience getting hundreds of millions into his investments.
socsa@piefed.social · 2 pts · 64d
You can't get numb to it. $14M was our revenue three years into a green tech startup/coop I worked at which employed like 40 people/co-owners. That was enough to be paying out like $15k+ bonuses/dividends to each employee. The entire company was started with a $1.5M dept of agriculture grant. It's a lot of money that you can do a lot of good with.
WhoIzDisIz@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 64d
Sorry, too late. I had to numb myself to retain any semblance of sanity living in Trump's "third world shithole."
Believe me I know. I also know that the money he & his pals have been grifting in just the past 1.5 years alone could easily raise millions out of poverty. It makes me sick AF.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 64d
It's still a shit ton of money that would completely change the lives of dozens of people if it was simply given out to them, let alone used for societal good.
WhoIzDisIz@lemmy.today · 0 pts · 64d
NS, S.
sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 65d
But... but... money laundering!
Our true national passtime!
DarkFuture@lemmy.world · 88 pts · 65d
$14 million to paint concrete.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
BradleyUffner@lemmy.world · 72 pts · 65d
Even worse. It was natural granite they painted over.Sorry all, I was wrong. The bottom is concrete.
cannedtuna@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 65d
Wonder if a pressure washer can take it off
kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world · 58 pts · 65d
Normally I'd say no. But with the shotty half assed work everyone in Trump's orbit does, it's almost certainly gonna start to peel on its own any day now
Burninator05@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 65d
If i presure washer won't, sanding a mm off the top will and probably wouldnt mess anything up. Or maybe it's completely fucked. I'm not a pool or paint guy.
ExtraPartsLeft@piefed.zip · 8 pts · 65d
Sanding won't hurt the granite other than taking the surface finish off of it. But it might be left with all of the cracks and chips in it still blue.
Hakuso@scribe.disroot.org · 16 pts · 65d
A good reminder how vile things creep trhough the foundation of a nation when allowed to do so.
Duamerthrax@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 65d
Media blasting with walnut shells would probably do the trick.
phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 63d
I wonder if a sufficiently powerful pressure washer could rid us of Trump.
cannedtuna@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 63d
It’s worth a shot
Telodzrum@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 64d
It's a mix of concrete base with granite facings and accents, so you'd be best just sandblasting it and exposing a new layer.
cannedtuna@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 64d
It’d have to be repolished then wouldn’t it? I’m just assuming that’s how it helps reflect the light
Telodzrum@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 64d
Yeah, I think you’re right. It’d have to be repolished and resealed afterwards.
BowtiesAreCool@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 65d
It wasn’t. The base of the pool is all concrete, with granite facings and walkways
BradleyUffner@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 64d
Do you have a good source for that? I'll delete / correct my comment if so.
nieminen@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 64d
https://usa.sika.com/en/construction/below-grade-waterproofing/projects/lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool.html
Found through Wikipedia btw, very interesting article if you're interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Memorial_Reflecting_Pool
lemmyng@lemmy.world · 31 pts · 65d
Methinks it was a slush fund disguised as desecrating the reflecting pool.
nieminen@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 64d
Obama's costed just over $30m, but they drove pilons, and paved the whole damn thing. And then put in a new circulatory system. So yeah, 14m for painting it is absolutely a payout to someone.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Memorial_Reflecting_Pool
anon_8675309@lemmy.world · 64 pts · 65d
Only reason he did this is because Obama did a restoration in 2012.
His entire presidency is to undo Obama.
WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 65d
I wish Obama's entire presidency was to undo Bush, and Biden's entire presidency was to undo Trump.
Duamerthrax@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 65d
You know what would have energized people? A huge program to reunite all the families that Trump separated.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 6 pts · 64d
Was it a no-bid contract that ended up being 7x its original amount?
I'm gonna guess no. Because if it was, we would never hear the end of it.
Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 65d
I don't doubt he is that petty but I also wouldn't be surprised if he is just too stupid to know what to do on how own so just does whatever Obama did as president like following a little "how to president for dummies" guidebook.
quarkquasar@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 65d
He did basically copy Obama's inauguration his first time (although a shittier version), and of course, Melania ripped off Michelle Obama's speech.
Fascists just really can't create anything.
turtlesareneat@piefed.ca · 50 pts · 65d
They remembered to install pool filters and chlorine and have a guy go scrub it every couple weeks, yeah? Regular pool maintenance, now that it's physically a swimming pool?
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 36 pts · 64d
$14 million for this project is fucking absurd. 700%+ of the original (no bid) contract amount. The original contract was actually under $2 mil so it's more than 7x.
Everything is a goddamn grift.
Everyone involved in approving the change orders that brought this project to 7x+ it's original value, needs to be investigated for this.
BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today · 17 pts · 64d
This was a classic real estate developer kickback scheme. Trump hires his special guy to do the job. The guy does it for 50% of the budget, including his profit, and the rest is kicked back to Trump.
Of course, when it actually got into production, he jacked the overrun way up, so he could skim even more.
He was going to do the same thing with the Kennedy Center renovation, but they stopped that one. He'll do the same with his arch, and the ballroom.
The old classics still work, and this kind of classic, old school kickback scheme has been Trump's bread & butter for his entire life. That's why he's doing all these cockamamie construction projects. This is his wheelhouse, and he is in it.
Wispy2891@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 64d
Look at the ballroom, it was 150 Mil then 250 mil then 400 mil then meanwhile we were joking about the 800 mil ballroom it became a 1.6 billion national security project
Darleys_Brew@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 64d
I really need someone to tell me how a ballroom protects a country.
ChaoticEntropy@feddit.uk · 6 pts · 64d
Because of the Hitler's bunker being built underneath, if nothing else.
Fedizen@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 64d
Gotta shoot himself in the head somewhere.
phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 63d
He could do that wherever he likes, as long as it's soon and he doesn't miss.
zqps@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 63d
I don't think trump could even manage that. He'd just shit himself to death.
Forester@pawb.social · 3 pts · 64d
You build a hardened Data center/command and control center eight stories under the ballroom
VindictiveJudge@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 64d
He wants to build a bunker under it.
Darleys_Brew@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 64d
What, to hide in when his term ends and he refuses to leave?
VindictiveJudge@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 64d
Pretty much. He's talked a lot about not leaving office at the end of this term.
Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io · 33 pts · 65d
It's a pond, in a swamp, of course it's gonna have algae. smh.
tonytins@pawb.social · 11 pts · 65d
It's almost like it wasn't just a convenient metaphor.
Frozengyro@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 65d
Wish he would drain it. It wasn't great before, but suddenly it's worse than ever.
kreskin@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 65d
So.. he literally created a new swamp where there wasn't one before. The worldwide news cycle will love this.
areakode@riskeratspizza.com · 1 pts · 65d
One more example that we live in a bad simulation...
neomachino@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 19 pts · 64d
I'm so glad I paid for this with my taxes. I was worried my money might go to something silly like feeding children.
Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 64d
Yeah, good thing my tax money is going for vanity projects and blatant embezzlement for people who wouldn't even notice and extra 500-million in their bank accounts instead of making the lives of 150,000 people slightly less shitty.
CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 65d
This absolutely tracks with everything PEDOnald.
Only thing missing is some fake gold gewgaws and gimcracks somewhere in the vicinity.
But maybe dumbass is working on that, too.
Etterra@discuss.online · 18 pts · 65d
Sounds like they tried to save money on chlorine. Trump's the master of saving pennies by spending dollars.
CuddlesMcBubblefun@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 65d
Was algae growth not an issue before? I hate what the dipshits did to it, but I don't see how it would only now get gross. Did they scrap filtration and treatment equipment or something?
stoly@lemmy.world · 25 pts · 65d
Part of having a dark bottom is that you cannot tell that the water is green. Birds poo in these things, filling them with nutrients that the algae gobble up.
alternategait@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 65d
BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today · 13 pts · 64d
Yeah, that's what water does, grows algae. And that's what algae does when it gets in water, it grows.
Did we really have to pay millions for Trump to do a seventh grade science experiment?
Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 64d
Was there not algae before?
Nouvellalia@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 64d
He tried to remove the algae by painting the bottom nueveau-riche blue.
SabinStargem@lemmy.today · 12 pts · 64d
That certainly reflects Trump's character.
phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 63d
Stagnant and smelly?
ActualGrapesTasteGreen@piefed.zip · 9 pts · 65d
As somebody who's never owned a pool or managed any small bodies of water, can somebody tell me what the implications of this is? What was keeping it algae-free before?
Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 65d
It wasn't algae free before. Trump thought spending millions on making it a darker colour would stop the algae growth. Might have slowed it slightly since there's less light reflected back up from the bottom now but there's no stopping it since, y'know, it's 100% exposed to sunlight on the surface.
black0ut@pawb.social · 1 pts · 64d
On the other hand, the paint being darker and absorbing more heat might make the water warmer, accelerating growth.
switcheroo@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 65d
Sounds like yet another grift. Fucker pocketed all the money and payed some MAGAt moron a couple bucks to slapdash paint the pool.
AngryRobot@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 65d
It was a no-bid contract to his pool guy at about triple what the project should have cost. Of course it was a slush fund. Half of that money went straight into taco's pocket.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 64d
At least triple.
The amount they're telling us is over 7x the original contract amount.
Usually, people would be fired (or recalled if elected) for this level of mismanagement at any other level of (functioning) government.
Tollana1234567@lemmy.today · 7 pts · 65d
the layer on the surface ponds, pools filled with algae and other plankton is called scum, pretty fitting.
Fedizen@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 64d
Reflecting pools are stupid AF. If given the choice I'd turn it into a natural pond with fucking frogs. Let nature fuckin rip. Trying to keep something that big free of any forms of life is a pointless effort.
underThunder@thelemmy.club · 6 pts · 64d
Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 64d
And someone Pocketed a few million dollars on the side
JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 63d
What was that saying again...
'Rapists and grifters thrive when voters sit and do nothing..'?
Good going, america!
PhoenixDog@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 63d
The one third of America that didn't vote is just as much to blame.
phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 6 pts · 63d
Should have hired a real pool guy.
RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 64d
I don't understand, this is a common problem with pools. It's why we have chlorine and pool chemicals. Did he just paint it, and not treat it?
Pacattack57@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 64d
Yes. They were most likely embezzling the funds and not actually doing anything.
Fedizen@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 64d
With trump the corruption is the point.
bold_atlas@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 65d
Highest form of life in the mall.
crusa187@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 65d
Tainted by the orange filth
JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 63d
I guess nature.. finds a way.
zod000@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 63d
It makes sense that this would happen since it is currently the home of that orange, mostly sentient mound of shit.
Darleys_Brew@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 64d
Someone please go there in the night and chuck some washing up liquid in the damn thing.