Parties Divided Over Memorial Cleanup

When President Clinton dedicated the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the Mall two years ago, he looked out over a shimmering three-tier pool surrounded by 40 large shade trees and a wide plaza of gray paving stones. Now the water no longer flows, and the fountain is empty. There are 40 holes where the trees once stood. Some of the paving stones are sunken or out of place. And it’s not clear who will pay to clean up the memorial, which cost $18 million to build. There are multiple problems and multiple parties involved. When the National Park Service calls a meeting to discuss when and how the memorial will be repaired, included are sponsor American Battles Monument Commission, the Army Corps of Engineers, and designer Cooper-Lecky Inc.