Prior renovation firm passed on Trump project as infeasible

[struggle4progress]

Jun 25, 2026
By Abigail Roedersheimer, Isabelle Khurshudyan, Sunlen Serfaty

Several months before blue strips started floating to the surface of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a company involved in its last renovation more than 15 years ago was approached with an opportunity to do this remodel as well. But the company said no.

Specifically, it balked at two requirements – the Trump administration wanted it done by July 4, and the pool bottom had to be blue, according to two employees with the New Jersey-based Sika Corporation, which provided the concrete construction and sealing products for a 2010 renovation project to the Reflecting Pool.

According to the two employees, who spoke to CNN on the condition they not be identified, both demands made the job “unfeasible” ...

https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/25/politics/reflecting-pool-firm-renovation-unfeasible

[RockRaven]

1. "Throw best practices out the window and do whatever the customer says, so long as the check clears"

is not a phenomenon limited to any one industry or trade, but it certainly was a predictable explanation of the bad work in this case.

[Wounded Bear]

2. Do you want it done fast, or do you want it done right?

A question contractors often ask. If you don't answer "right" a reputable contractor won't even bid.