Overview
- Atlantic Industrial Coatings told the government that workers layered two incompatible coating chemicals and left some areas with too little primer, a combination that caused the liner paint to blister and peel.
- Justice Department prosecutors dropped criminal vandalism charges and said the pool damage stemmed from “flawed installation by the contractor.”
- The pool has been repeatedly drained and patched while Atlantic continues repairs under its warranty and the basin remains fenced off from the public.
- The contractor's report says vandals cut some edge caulking but does not link those cuts to the liner blistering, a distinction that undercut earlier public claims of deliberate sabotage.
- The fast-tracked, largely no-bid renovation for the semiquincentennial and the decision to rehire the original contractor have raised fresh questions about procurement, oversight, and possible legal claims tied to the dropped prosecutions.