President Trump confirmed that work on a new helipad is underway at the White House. According to the Associated Press, the project is privately funded and is expected to cost up to $6 million.
“So now we’re building a helipad, beautiful helipad, and it’s got the seal of the White House on it — in granite, carved granite, it’s… really a beautiful thing,” Trump told reporters.
The landing site seeks to solve problems linked to a new fleet of presidential helicopters, which the president said destroys the grass. “So they landed the helicopter, and half of the grass was sitting in front of the Oval Office front door. The rest of it was scattered all over,” he said.
“It’s about $5 or $6 million — they’re paying the full cost, and when I heard they were paying the cost, I went out and said, ‘let’s do a beauty, let’s not just do a piece of concrete and paint it white,'” he added.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that the new helipad would protect the historic lawn from damage caused by the upgraded VH-92A Patriot helicopter. The exhaust from the new Lockheed Martin Sikorsky helicopter can burn up the grass, particularly during hot and dry conditions, sources familiar with the project told the Journal. The VH-92A Patriot can carry 6,200 pounds more than the VH-3D Sea King it succeeded, making it a significantly more powerful machine.
The development comes as the Trump administration is repairing damages to the Reflecting Pool. U.S. Olympic canoeist David “Davey” Hearn was recently indicted in connection to the damages.
