Another No-Bid Contract to Gild Horses on DC Bridge

DaisyDay · Saturday at 10:42 AM

The Trump Administration Is Spending $5 Million to Coat Horse Statues in Gold

The Interior Department quickly gave nearly $100 million in contracts in a rush to beautify D.C.

www.notus.org

Four massive bronze horses positioned along the roads surrounding the Lincoln Memorial still shine in the sun from their first restoration in the 1970s. But their gold-toned coating is faded and patchy, and their heavy stone bases are cracked and dirty.

The Trump administration wants them glittering with a fresh coat of gold in time for America’s 250th anniversary on July 4. So in mid-April, the National Park Service handed a $5 million contract to a gilding studio in Maryland to repair the statues and cover them with a thick layer of 23.75-karat gold leaf.

It awarded the project without a full competition, according to NPS documents reviewed by NOTUS.

Near-pure gold leafing? $5M might be a bargain, but without competitive bidding and oversight, who really knows? This does lead to the question of is this proper stewardship of taxpayer money or is this grandiose extravagance?

Richard T · Sunday at 12:46 AM

Perfect symbols for the love of money and pride being exalted. We are nearing the peak. I pray we all are ready for God's response.

Nithavela · Sunday at 12:56 AM

I guess this is what the Golden Age of America is all about. It's literal, just put gold leaf on everything.

Servus · Sunday at 1:55 AM

DaisyDay said:
The Trump Administration Is Spending $5 Million to Coat Horse Statues in Gold

The Interior Department quickly gave nearly $100 million in contracts in a rush to beautify D.C.

www.notus.org

Four massive bronze horses positioned along the roads surrounding the Lincoln Memorial still shine in the sun from their first restoration in the 1970s. But their gold-toned coating is faded and patchy, and their heavy stone bases are cracked and dirty.

The Trump administration wants them glittering with a fresh coat of gold in time for America’s 250th anniversary on July 4. So in mid-April, the National Park Service handed a $5 million contract to a gilding studio in Maryland to repair the statues and cover them with a thick layer of 23.75-karat gold leaf.

It awarded the project without a full competition, according to NPS documents reviewed by NOTUS.

Near-pure gold leafing? $5M might be a bargain, but without competitive bidding and oversight, who really knows? This does lead to the question of is this proper stewardship of taxpayer money or is this grandiose extravagance?

Good grief it's just a restoration project. Anyone bothered by this must have burst a blood vessel over the Statue of Liberty restoration project.

Nithavela · Sunday at 2:16 AM

Servus said:
Good grief it's just a restoration project. Anyone bothered by this must have burst a blood vessel over the Statue of Liberty restoration project.

Restoration means bringing something back to it's former state. Did those statues have gold-leaf before?

Pommer · Sunday at 2:20 AM

Richard T said:
Perfect symbols for the love of money and pride being exalted. We are nearing the peak. I pray we all are ready for God's response.

You’ll be sure to point it out, when that happens, right?

Servus · Sunday at 3:26 AM

Nithavela said:
Restoration means bringing something back to it's former state. Did those statues have gold-leaf before?

Yes. From the first paragraph of the article:

But their gold-toned coating is faded and patchy

Now of course someone could make something of nothing by arguing, "it says gold TONED not gold LEAF" and so on while I eat popcorn.

Nithavela · Sunday at 4:54 AM

Servus said:
Yes. From the first paragraph of the article:

But their gold-toned coating is faded and patchy

Now of course someone could make something of nothing by arguing, "it says gold TONED not gold LEAF" and so on while I eat popcorn.

Then I don't have a problem with the gold leaf itself. Personally, I prefer old things to look old and imperfect, as long as their structural integrity is not in danger, but that is just my personal taste.

I also don't have an issue with this being done now, because though the USA (as the rest of the world) is experiencing economic hardship, it is the 250 year anniversary. And you should always celebrate anniversarys like there won't be another one.

But I think that the main issue of this thread is that the contract was given without any public bidding, as is it is normally done to get the best contract and prevent backroom deals, an aspect you haven't adressed thus far.

Servus · Sunday at 5:06 AM

Nithavela said:
Then I don't have a problem with the gold leaf itself. Personally, I prefer old things to look old and imperfect, as long as their structural integrity is not in danger, but that is just my personal taste.

I also don't have an issue with this being done now, because though the USA (as the rest of the world) is experiencing economic hardship, it is the 250 year anniversary. And you should always celebrate anniversarys like there won't be another one.

But I think that the main issue of this thread is that the contract was given without any public bidding, as is it is normally done to get the best contract and prevent backroom deals, an aspect you haven't adressed thus far.

There's not enough time to go through rituals, formalities, and red tape.

I think what some don't like is these projects aren't being dragged out long enough to get squashed before they begin.

Nithavela · Sunday at 5:13 AM

Servus said:
There's not enough time to go through rituals, formalities, and red tape.

You are correct. If one procrastinates, there is never enough time. For example, this could have been done a year ago. It's not like the 250 year anniversary is a surprise.

Servus · Sunday at 5:49 AM

Nithavela said:
You are correct. If one procrastinates, there is never enough time. For example, this could have been done a year ago. It's not like the 250 year anniversary is a surprise.

You mean like come up with everything all at once from the start?

Nithavela · Sunday at 8:14 AM

Servus said:
You mean like come up with everything all at once from the start?

Well, Trump was going to do a thousand things on day one. What's one more thing?

comana · Sunday at 8:51 AM

Servus said:
There's not enough time to go through rituals, formalities, and red tape.

I think what some don't like is these projects aren't being dragged out long enough to get squashed before they begin.

A deadline made up by Trump. These things don’t need to be done this year but he wants to show off because of an arbitrary idea that 250 is more significant than 249 or 251.

Servus · Sunday at 9:42 AM

comana said:
A deadline made up by Trump. These things don’t need to be done this year but he wants to show off because of an arbitrary idea that 250 is more significant than 249 or 251.

Yeah, he made a big deal out of 150 too back in 1926. Held an Expo and so on.

essentialsaltes · Sunday at 9:46 AM

Are there any calf statues in DC?

Servus · Sunday at 10:02 AM

essentialsaltes said:
Are there any calf statues in DC?

Yes. In the National Mall.

durangodawood · Sunday at 10:04 AM

Servus said:
Yes. In the National Mall.

Bronze. 3rd place calf.

DaisyDay · Sunday at 10:17 AM

Servus said:
Good grief it's just a restoration project. Anyone bothered by this must have burst a blood vessel over the Statue of Liberty restoration project.

How is spending $5M of taxpayer monies to gold leaf the bridge horses comparable to a private foundation working with the National Parks Service to restore the crumbling Statue of Liberty?

Restoring the Statue - Statue Of Liberty National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

In 1982, four years before the Statue's centennial anniversary, President Ronald Reagan appointed Lee Iacocca, the Chairman of Chrysler Corporation, to head the Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation. The Foundation was created to lead the private sector effort and raise the funds for the renovation and preservation of the Statue for its centennial in 1986. The Foundation worked with the National Park Service to plan, oversee, and implement this restoration.

Anyone making this absurd analogy must have burst a blood vessel to imagine similarity where none exists - outside that all are public sculptures.

DaisyDay · Sunday at 10:30 AM

Servus said:
There's not enough time to go through rituals, formalities, and red tape.

Why not? Did the 250th anniversary come as a sudden surprise?

Servus said:
I think what some don't like is these projects aren't being dragged out long enough to get squashed before they begin.

Maybe some of them should be squashed before they begin, but with no oversight, non-competitive bids and the rushed timeline corruption becomes almost inevitable.

Servus · Sunday at 10:37 AM

DaisyDay said:
Why not? Did the 250th anniversary come as a sudden surprise?

It's likely that new ideas sprung up as everyone involved proceeded with it. Or is it that Trump is supposed to see all things ahead of time like the Three Eyed Raven?

DaisyDay said:
Maybe some of them should be squashed before they begin, but with no oversight, non-competitive bids and the rushed timeline corruption becomes almost inevitable.

All of the glorious monuments to Trump, the Big Beautiful Ballroom, the Arch de Trump and so on will be built by 2028 and you'll have to live with them being there the rest of your life muhaha.

Another No-Bid Contract to Gild Horses on DC Bridge

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