Tangent
The New York Times reported late on Thursday that a business owned by a longtime Trump supporter and key donor, John J. Cafaro, was given a no-bid $1.7 million contract to install a water-purification system in the reflecting pool. An Interior Department spokesperson told the Times that Cafaro’s Ohio-based firm, Greenwater Services, has set up temporary water-purification sites at the pool and will install a permanent system this week. The official also denied knowledge of Cafaro’s political links and said his firm was picked “because they had the expertise, workforce and materials.”
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tangent
Last month, the Cultural Landscape Foundation, a nonprofit group, sued the Trump administration in federal court over the repainting of the Reflecting Pool. In the , the plaintiffs had argued that the repainting was “blatantly unlawful” and that the pool floor’s dark grey is a deliberate design choice. The filing also noted that the dark-colored floor created the “illusion of greater depth and a more profound reflection.” The non-profit’s President and CEO, Charles Birnbaum, said at the time: “A blue-tinted basin is more appropriate to a resort or theme park.” The suit urges the court to block the repair work and restore the pool to its original color.
further reading
Hydrogen Peroxide Poured Into Green Reflecting Pool After Trump’s $14 Million Renovation (Forbes)
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Firm Tied to Trump Donor Got No-Bid Contract to Clean Reflecting Pool (New York Times)
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