Occasionally we receive submissions from those who have input on Hutto's status or our services. This section has been dedicated to those submissions that stand out most.

Entry 9/29/2008

My family originally moved to Hutto in 1986. My parents were pleased with the small town atmosphere, lack of crime and easygoing way of life. The school district was in only two buildings at that time, the old high school and Hutto Elementary. I got older and like any other teenager, could not wait to move away. My biggest complaint about Hutto in those days was gossip but otherwise my recollections made me think Hutto would be a good place for my family to settle when we decided to buy a home in 2004.

We closed on our house in Hutto Parke in September of 2004. This was a monumental time for our family as this is our first home. We moved into the house with jubilee and settled in. I was happy in this community for about a year and then my enthusiasm started to fade. My displeasure is multifaceted and I will try to hit on the points that caused my disenchantment.

1. My first problem is with HISD.

My son is in special education and I have had to write repeatedly to complain to get anything accomplished. Then the department still drags their feet and is snide in complying with TEA regulations.

My son has attended 4 different elementries, the latest being Veteran’s Hill Elementary that is 7 miles from my house, when Cottonwood is less than a mile from home. I bought a house to give him some stability and since 1st grade, he has only attended one school for 2 consecutive years.

2. Hutto Parke has turned out to be a lemon.

We bought a smaller home within our means with the intention to sell in 7 years and move up. My house has not had any structural damage, we have no nail pops or creaking noises. But with the press that Lennar and Hutto Parke has received because of a shoddy builder (must not be my builder), we will not be able to sell until everyone has forgotten about the complaints. So, we are stuck with this house that is too small.

Because of the liberal practices of the mortgage industry during the development of Hutto Parke, a lot of houses were foreclosed and became rental property. This neighborhood has a select few that are undesirable and troublesome. My son has gotten a bike and a skateboard stolen from my front porch.

My son was incited to fight with a friend last week by a gang of teenagers. This fight was being taped by the teens and they actually picked him up after he fell to fight on. I have been scanning UTUBE to find the video. This is unacceptable, who raises kids who would do this?

My neighbor is pregnant and has 4 adults and 6 children living in a 4-bedroom house. They have four cars and fill up the drive, so all of their friends have to park in front of my house on weekends. There are no HOA covenants or city ordinances for occupancy in a single-family dwelling. So, we have to live with the boarding house next door.

I have to listen to booming radios from cars that are driving 45+ on the streets where our children are playing without any regard for their safety. Who cares as long as your car is booming, huh?

I am seriously considering not letting my son leave my block to play. I do not know who lives in this neighborhood and my job is to watch out for him. I was walking to the mailbox on Sunday and these 6 or 7year old girls were driving a Barbie car down the middle of the street, there were no adults in sight. I had to tell the children to get out of the street because there were real cars behind them moving 2 mph waiting. Where were these parents?

We jokingly started calling Hutto Parke the ghetto a year ago and this is turning out to be the case. I hate the direction my neighborhood has headed and just want to sell and get out. But, oh, I can’t do that because of the shoddy workmanship of a builder who came after we bought our house.

3. Hutto Police have an attitude.

In any encounter we have had with Hutto Police they were cocky and attitude driven.

On one encounter, my husband called to complain about a band practicing on the block behind us. They told him that there was not a noise ordinance and they could not discontinue the band from practicing at 2 am. These people proceeded to confront my husband, in a threatening way, after the cops left. (Another complaint about Hutto Parke)

Another occasion, they came to my home on my calling and accused me of being drunk without a sobriety test and threatened me with arrest if I left the premises. They would not hear my reckoning of the situation but assumed that I was wrong.

At this point, I am ready to move from Hutto and call it a loss. Who needs a hometown anyway? Hutto has become a haven for cast offs and undesirables, the city council is too busy arguing to make any change and the school district is floundering with the growth. WARNING, choose another town, Hutto is not adjusting well to growth.

Amanda Baccus