After 28 Years in Woodbury, David Jessup Says Farewell

Looking back on 28 years with Woodbury, David Jessup, the first city engineer in the city’s history, used words like professionalism, pride and positivity.

Jessup, 66, currently the Public Works director, is retiring June 20.

“It’s going to be sad to go. There are incredible, wonderful people here that I enjoy spending time with,” he said Thursday at City Hall. “In the 20-plus years I’ve been here, I never had a problem getting up and coming to work.”

The city has grown from 15,000 people to more than 64,000 today since he began in Woodbury on May 30, 1985, coming over from what is now Metro Transit after a stint with the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The Goshen, Ind., native—who graduated from Purdue and has a degree from the University of Minnesota—has had a hand in many aspects of Woodbury’s development over the years, including planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation of city infrastructure.

Woodbury has invested more than $600 million in Public Works improvements during Jessup’s tenure, and the changes have kept things fresh.

“There haven’t been two days that were the same in those 28 years,” said Jessup, who was named Minnesota City Engineer of the Year in 2005.

In a way, the engineering profession is in Jessup’s blood. His grandfather started a roadwork company in 1916 in Indiana and he has uncles in civil engineering, as well.

Jessup said he was always good at math and science as a youngster, “and that leads to engineering.”

“It’s been incredibly fun and exciting,” he said. “It’s been a wonderful career.”

From city staff to the council to residents themselves, Jessup said he has always been impressed with the positivity exhibited by Woodbury.

He recalled once meeting Colby Lake residents on a Sunday morning, and the response from the community in 1993 during the opening of a new Public Works facility.

“It was a blast,” Jessup said, looking at coffee mugs in his office to try to track down the exact date. “None of us, in our wildest dreams, thought it would be that successful.”

Jessup also lauded Public Works staff for successes over the years, and the Woodbury City Council (past and present) for its vision.

“(Council members) really see themselves as servants of the community,” he said. “Staff feels the same way, and that reflects on how they provide their services. … People are really committed to what they do here.”

Jessup said he enjoys the outdoors, biking and fishing in the summer and cross-county skiing during winter. More of that, along with traveling, is on the docket for retirement.

“Weekends are pretty short,” he said. “So now I have seven days a week to do those things.”

Plus…

“I have several grandkids who still think it’s cool to hang out with grandpa,” Jessup said.

Asked if he’d change anything during his time in Woodbury, Jessup was stumped for an answer, and again pointed to the professionalism of city government as a whole.

“The success has been the department and, in a broader perspective, the city,” he said.

He fully expects that success to continue after he’s gone.

“I have no question about that,” Jessup said.