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Scope creep slows Hutto Lake Park playground; council orders corrected timeline and policy tweak
Summary
Council members criticized schedule slippage and unapproved design additions for Hutto Lake Park playground, including discussion of autism‑certified inclusive equipment, and directed staff to return a change order correcting the timeline; staff will require council approval for design schedule increases going forward.
Council members expressed frustration over schedule slippage and unapproved scope changes in the Hutto Lake Park playground project and directed staff to present a corrected change order.
City Manager James Erp explained a process gap that allowed design schedules to slip when consultants raised new requirements during design conversations. He said the city will add a required step: if a consultant—s schedule must increase because of scope changes (time or money), the change must be submitted to council for approval. Erp pointed specifically to inclusion-related equipment: "the autism certification was raised, and that's specialized equipment," which can increase both cost and time for design.
Council asked for an explicit new milestone schedule and a change order to be brought back for approval at the next council meeting. Interim City Engineer Patricia Davis said staff will prepare the change order to document the corrected timeline and to incorporate tighter milestone reporting.
