Council members and staff spent an extended portion of Tuesday’s meeting on recurring problems at Van Houten Park: construction defects, vandalism and underground electrical issues that staff say require additional work and coordination with the contractor’s bonding company and DTE (the local utility).

Residents and council members described visible damage and safety hazards at the playscape, ongoing vandalism and incomplete punch‑list work; staff said the contractor had performance bonds but some repair work and unexpected underground problems remained to be resolved.

CEDD Director Saad, the city engineer and DPW staff reported repeated electrical failures after installation and damage requiring excavation that in turn damaged playground surfacing. Saad said the contractor’s bonding company and DTE both bear responsibility for portions of the repairs, and the city is holding a final payment while pursuing corrective work. “We’re holding their bond, and they’re still repairing various things,” Saad said; later she added that some underground cables owned by DTE had failed and that DTE agreed to participate in costs for certain repairs.

Councilman questions and actions: the council considered a change order for Van Houten Park improvement work with a proposed increase of up to $85,000 to cover specific additional repairs. A motion to approve “change order number 1” was moved and, in the initial vote earlier in the meeting, carried. Council members later expressed concern that the payment and change‑order details lacked the itemized backup they needed to approve disbursement. After staff explained the complex mix of contractor warranty work and DTE responsibility, council members requested an in-person meeting including city engineering, the contractor (Premier Group Associates), bonding representatives and DTE; council members asked staff to return with a line-item breakdown before issuing any payment.

Chief points raised in the discussion:
- Some playground surfacing was removed to access underground cabling; staff said that removal and replacement is covered where DTE’s work required access, and other defects are covered by the contractor’s warranty or bond.
- City staff report holding roughly $80,000 in retainage tied to unresolved punch‑list items and are pursuing remediation through bonding and direct negotiation with DTE.
- Council requested staff to convene the contractor, bonding company and DTE to establish a shared scope and firm cost allocation before dispersing additional city funds. Council members asked that inspectors and the electrical inspector join that meeting.

Outcome and next steps: while a change order was discussed and a motion was made earlier in the meeting, council members later voted to refer further payment authorization back to administration and to place a detailed breakdown on the next council agenda. Staff scheduled a meeting with the contractor, DTE and council representatives to reconcile outstanding defects, confirm who pays for what and identify safety items that must be closed quickly.

Ending: Staff said they will provide a detailed, itemized estimate to council members and will not issue payment until the breakdown and responsibility assignments are documented. The city’s retained funds and contractor bonding remain central tools to complete the repairs while the city pursues DTE participation for electrical damage.