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GARRETT â At Tuesdayâs meeting of the Garrett Board of Works, Executive Director Anton King of the DeKalb County Economic Development Partnership shared highlights from 2020 amid the pandemic, âwhich oddly was a record-breaking year from a dollar-investment standpoint,â he said.
âWhat we saw was it was a time to hit the pause button, with companies realizing where to make their dollar investments strategically. DeKalb County was the benefactor of several consolidations,â he said, reporting some $145 million in investments in the county as a whole, a total 43 deals altogether, not only in manufacturing and distribution sector, but also a great deal of commercial activity, commercial expansions and quality-of-life projects, such as Momentive Performance Materials and the expansion of Shortyâs Steakhouse, both in Garrett.
AUBURN â On its 16th anniversary, Auburn Essential Services has grown to âseveral thousandâ customers and 25 employees, the Auburn Common Council heard Tuesday.
Chris Schweitzer, general manager of the city-owned broadband utility, delivered its annual report in a council meeting at City Hall.
The utility experienced a record year in revenue growth and customer count during 2020, Schweitzer said. He did not provide specific numbers.
Improving its services, AES employed its first business development coordinator. It added an after-hours technical support team that takes calls until 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.
The utility also began doing its own network construction for savings and speed, he said.
AUBURN â The City of Auburn soon could have $2.1 million to spend on new projects.
âI donât think weâll have any problem coming up with projects to spend it to invest in our community,â Mayor Mike Ley told the Auburn Common Council on Tuesday in City Hall.
The amount could turn out to be nearly $5 million, depending on Auburnâs share of the federal economic stimulus package (see related story).
The council on Tuesday began discussing plans to issue a new, $4.31 million bond. It would refinance $2.25 million of existing debt from 2011, leaving the rest for new projects.
The plan takes advantage of an expected interest rate of 1.3%. The 2011 bond bears interest rates of 4% to 4.75%, and refinancing it will save $60,000 per year in interest, for a total savings of $300,000.