I tried to participate in the project, but only had a working high class hoe... sadly the project needed a regular Hoe, so I wasn't able to participate...
Yes, when the high class hoe and super scraper came out, we were warned by staff that not all functions had been rewritten to accept either, so you should keep both on hand.
Projects have always been specific about which tools are needed. I've always had to keep a regular pick on hand for projects, even though I normally use a fancy pick for mining, too.