The race to turn the reflecting pool blue for Trump's 250th anniversary celebrations may be putting workers at risk, warns a union monitoring the site. The pool, a Washington landmark since 1922, is currently under renovation, with its usual watery surface replaced by vehicle and work equipment. This has caused leaks and algae blooms, which have confounded previous repair schemes. The Trump administration awarded a no-bid contract to waterproof and repaint the pool to a Virginia-based company, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, despite concerns over the company's work and the true cost of the contract being revealed as $13.1 million. The union representative, Herbert Zaldivar, is concerned for the safety of the workers on the project, none of whom have been willing to talk to him. He fears that the rushed timeline may leave some liability with the contractor and that the chemicals being used are hazardous. A company supervisor, Richard Jones, referred all inquiries to the National Park Service, and a spokesperson for the Department of the Interior defended the project, praising Trump's expertise as a builder. However, tourists visiting the site have expressed disappointment and bewilderment at the sight, with some feeling that everything being done is being done intentionally. The union's scrutiny has focused on the reflecting pool, a Washington landmark since it was dug in 1922, after it was drained of water and fenced off from the public to allow contractors to upgrade it by 4 July.
