GARNETT — Whatever steps city and county leaders need to take towards economic development, the Anderson County Review reported Garnett City Commissioner Preston Peine said there’s one key area for improvement – and that’s communication. At a recent city meeting, Peine told Anderson County economic development director Dennis Arnold the city and county can offer some help as long as they know what Arnold is working on. Peine asked Arnold to present regular, detailed reports at future meetings and Arnold agreed. It’s been a long couple of years for economic development efforts in Anderson County. East Kansas Agri-Energy ethanol plant, the city’s largest industrial employer and top city utilities customer, recently announced it will shut down Oct. 1 and remain closed until the ethanol market improves. The Astro Truck Cover manufacturing facility burned in a fire last year and moved to Ottawa, and Kids Creations moved to another state after a change in ownership. Arnold said replacing them is tricky because there isn’t a lot of available industrial building space. Instead, Arnold said city and county leaders should consider using technology to lure companies to the area. He said he’s working on several ideas, including distance learning or video conferencing opportunities, bringing high-speed broadband Internet service, and the city offering free Internet instead of tax breaks to new businesses.
Monday, Sept. 10, 9:30 a.m.
