Concerns arise after county engineer exits

Steele County engineer Paul Sponholz has taken a job closer to home–by about 70 miles.

Cottage Grove city council members hired Sponholz as city engineer during their May 7 regular meeting. His start date? “As soon as possible.”

Cottage Grove Public Works Director Ryan Burfeind said the position had been open for two months. Sponholz has lived in the city since 2015.

Sponholz replaced Greg Ilkka, who retired last summer. He had previously served as assistant county engineer.

Since taking the role, Sponholz has come under criticism by residents who oppose the preferred route for the East Side Corridor, a long-needed north-south connection. The preferred alternative, from the Bixby Road/18th Street SE intersection to Kenyon Road, runs past the established North Country neighborhood.

In addition to speaking out at city council and county board meetings for more than two years, they’ve presented a petition with 580 signatures opposing the 29th Street option. They've talked about safety concerns, noise, transparency, and other issues around the project, which is a joint effort with the City of Owatonna.

Sponholz’s exit has only exacerbated their concerns. Ahead of the May 13 County Board meeting, resident Melissa Zimmerman sent a request that commissioners pull several engineering-related items from their regular meeting agenda. They include an amendment to an agreement with consulting firm WSB for preliminary engineering services for the East Side

Corridor Project and authorizing the county engineer to sign the agreement.

“Pushing through major amendments and contracts in the final days of a department head’s tenure—without transparency, public acknowledgment, or assurance of incoming leadership review—raises serious concerns about accountability, continuity, and public trust,” she wrote.

The May 13 meeting occurred after the Times’ print edition went to press.