East Side group plans appeal
The group battling the East Side Corridor in Owatonna plans to appeal Steele County’s decision that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is not needed for the project.
Matthew Sennott, who has been leading the East Side Corridor group of residents for several years, said an attorney has been retained and will work to file the appeal within 30 days. The appeal must be filed by March 12 with the Minnesota State Court of Appeals.
On Jan. 27, the Steele County Board voted to move the contentious project forward without an environmental study being done. Steele County wants to build a north/south corridor from 29th Avenue from SE 18th Street to Kenyon Road.
During the meeting, about 100 residents came in person and virtually to share mostly opposition to the county’s proposal. “We had the largest group we’ve had to this point at the meeting,” Sennott said, noting this has been going on for nearly three years. “I have yet to run into one person who wants the road where the county wants to put in the back yards of residents.”
Sennott said he’s not aware of any other effort like this in the history of Steele County. “We are fighting this to the end,” he said, adding he’s also not aware of any other grassroots effort that’s holding government accountable like his group.
“They have kicked the hornet’s nest, and residents aren’t going to put up with this,” Sennott said about the pending appeal. “We’re moving forward with full litigation because they’ve given us no choice at this point.”
Sennott said the goal of an appeal is to force the county into completing an EIS, which he claims would take into account all the environmental impacts the project could have.
Melissa Zimmerman has also taken an active role in the group’s efforts to stop the project as proposed. “We’re hopeful the city and county will build a corridor that isn’t harmful to residents,” she said. “They need to put our livelihood and safety first,” she added.
Both Sennott and Zimmerman said they are not against building a new road. However, they do not agree with the location chosen for the corridor, and they would like it moved about a half mile east. They also have perhaps greater concerns about what they call a lack of transparency over the entire process.
“This isn’t just a fight about a road,” Zimmermann said. “It’s fighting about a fair process and fighting for everyone’s rights. We should be listened to and not pushed aside.”
Added Sennott, “We are against citizens that are being kept in the dark throughout the process.”
Zimmerman said the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, which is a nonprofit group, has volunteered to work with them on the pending litigation. “They have done many big cases throughout the state, including the data center in Faribault,” she said.
Besides filing an appeal, which once filed could take up to eight months to resolve, she said they are also prepared to get an injunction to stop the project from its targeted groundbreaking in 2027.
The past few years have taught Zimmerman a valuable lesson about local governmental bodies, including the county and City of Owatonna. “Government is not accessible, and they do not want to hear the public’s voice,” she said. “Government is supposed to be for the people. We can’t figure out where we’re supposed to have a voice.”
The East Side group has raised $30,000 to date to pay for an attorney to help them with its case.
“We’ve had a great show of support from citizens,” Sennott said, adding most of the donations have come through social media and a GoFundMe campaign.