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By ERICA MCCLAINerica.mcclain@hillsdale.net

The Hillsdale CountyChamber of Commerce islaunching a new businessprogram for the year, start-ing May 1.The program, called “Try

Us First,” will be free for allbusinesses within thecounty, and those who par-ticipate will offer a productor service at a discount.“It’s something the cham-

ber has been working on forseveral years in trying tofind a program that wouldhave a welcoming ap-proach,” said Karri Doty,president and executive di-rector of the chamber. The goal of the program,

according to a pamphletfrom the chamber, will be toemphasize the importanceof shopping locally.“This campaign is focus-

ing on community pride andsolidarity within busi-nesses,” stated Paul Powers,from the Jonesville BusinessAssociation, in a press re-lease. “It can be used as atool to advertise your nameand a way to promote ourbusinesses.”To be eligible for dis-

counts, consumers mustpurchase a wristband for$10, which will be sold atarea schools, the chamber’soffice and area businesses.The participating schools,

which are all public andcharter schools, will then re-ceive about 40 percent ofthe wristband sales.“It’s a great opportunity

for the schools to makesome money off this pro-gram,” Doty said.But schools are not the

only potential benefactor inthe program.Doty said after the first

two weeks of May, othergroups, like church youthgroups, can use the program

Chamber leadsnew campaiign

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Vol . 101 No. 66| Local news updates and information at www.hi l lsdale.net | 75¢

FRIDAY | MARCH 19, 2010

JONESVILLE

UP A CREEK?

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STATE OPENSTOURNAMENTIN SPORTS

I’M SMILINGBECAUSE:“I’m eating icecream..”

Lauren Baker, 10,Hillsdale

QUOTABLE“The last thing we’dwant to do would be toown it because therewould be far less lee-way from the DNRE.” John Lovinger, attor-ney for the village ofJonesville on a re-quest to take owner-ship of a rural dam.

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Volume 101 Number 66

By ERICA MCCLAINerica.mcclain@hillsdale.net

A Hillsdale man whose Jonesvilledam is in a state of disrepair, won’t begetting any help from the village. At Wednesday night’s Village

Council meeting, Jack Mosley spokeabout his troubles with the St. JosephRiver Millpond dam, which he legallyowns.“I have two options,” he said. “One,

going back to the possibility of re-moving it, but I also really want to goback to different colleges and look atit as a college project for ecologicalpurposes.”Mosley, who found out he owned

the dam two years ago, said the re-pair would cost between $85,000and $100,000. The Department ofNatural Resources and Environmenttold him he now has five years to re-pair the erosion, he said.However, Mosley said he lacks

both the resources and funds to fixthe dam, which sits on his 60-acreproperty.He asked the council if they would

be willing to aid the effort or assumeownership of the dam, which is in astate of disrepair from the erosion.John Lovinger, the village’s attor-

ney, said assuming ownership wouldbe a huge liability for the village.

“The last thing we’d want to dowould be to own it because therewould be far less leeway from theDNRE,” he said. “Even if we threw inmanpower or equipment, we’d in-crease our liability, as frustrating asthat is for Mr. Mosley.”After Lovinger spoke, several coun-

cil members told Mosley they werewilling to support his cause.“My objective was to get it into the

village’s hands,” Mosley said. “Sup-port is not going to help.”He said he has been in talks with

the DNRE, Department of Environ-mental Quality and the village coun-cil over the past two years.Mosley said he has been trying to

build support for the dam but has re-ceived little aid or information on

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Making cards for the troops

Jared Towers, 9, Hillsdale, and Joe Eagle, of Jonesville, fish at the St. Joseph River Millpond damThursday. Eagle said he thought the dam needed to be torn down because he considered it a hazard.

DAILY NEWS/ERICA MCCLAIN

Village won’t help man whose rural dam needs repairs

Diane Van de Weerd of Hillsdale makes a greeting cardduring a Big Read activity at the Hillsdale Community Li-brary Wednesday.

DAILY NEWS / AMY BELL

A class at the HillsdaleCommunity Library Wed-nesday night offered stu-dents the chance to learn acraft while supporting sol-diers overseas.The Hillsdale County Big

Read hosted a “Make yourown greeting card” nightwhere participants learnedhow to make greeting cardsas instructed by MarthaTown, an individual distribu-

tor of Stampin’ Up products,The cards will eventually

be sent to soldiers serving inthe military.Library Director Cory Gri-

minick said she is not surewhere the letters will be sentbut she has a few ideas.The idea for the class

stems from the Big Read’sbook for 2010 which is “TheGuernsey Literary and Po-tato Peel Pie Society” by

Mary Ann Shaffer andAnnie Barrows.The book is based around

people writing letters to oneanother so that is where theidea for the thank you notescame from, Griminick said.Town said the book goes

into great depth with signif-icant character developmentwhich is surprising becausethe book is a series of letters.

— Amy Bell

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DAILY NEWSWhitney EstatesApartment HomesA Month of FridaysMarch 5, 12, 19, 2610 am - 4pm180 Mechanic St.Hillsdale517-437-0555www.mrdapartments.com

Erosion on the embankments below the St. Joseph River Millponddam has been a chief concern of the Department of Natural Re-sources and Environment.

DAILY NEWS/ERICA MCCLAIN

NCAA basketball tournament opens, 6