NEW LEVEE TO PROTECT DAV HOME

Not long after Disabled American Veterans Chapter 16 purchased its new home, it was 4 feet under water.

That was in 1993.

A year later, it was a foot under water.

"The river will have to reach the 100-year flood stage to get into the building now," said Vincent Schwartz, first vice commander of the local DAV chapter.

Schwartz was watching early Tuesday as work continued on a new, 6-foot-high levee surrounding the building at 1000 Big Bend Road.

The DAV owns the building and shares space with the Gospel of Christ Church, which leases it.

The building, constructed in the late 1930s as a home, has housed churches a long time, said Schwartz. "We use it for our monthly meetings," he said.

The structure was home to three churches in the 1990s: Lake County Baptist Church, Big Bend Pentecostal Church and Gospel of Christ Church.

"We're proud to get this project completed," said Schwartz. "We got a little nervous earlier this year when the river was up."

The property is in a flood plain. The levee was approved by the city.

The DAV has plenty of room, said Ken Eftink, development service coordinator for the city. "The property has a big lot, and there is no negative impact for neighbors."

Anyone in the flood plain can build a levee around their property if there is plenty of room and if it doesn't cause damage to neighbors, said Eftink.

"But in most cases property lots are not large enough to put up a levee," he said. "We'd have to look at each individual request. There are some zoning ordinances on what can be put into yards."

The DAV conducted a fund-raising campaign in 1992 to purchase the brick building.

"At that time we were meeting in a room at the Naval Reserve Center," said Schwartz. Before that the DAV met at the National Guard Armory.

The church building was ideal for the organization. The building already had a wheelchair ramp. "It was a good site for monthly meetings and social events," said Schwartz.

Following the flood of 1993, the group made numerous repairs to the building.

The chapter has 430 members who served in World War II, Korea or Vietnam. Chapter members are from many areas, but about 250 are from Cape Girardeau and 100 from Jackson. The local chapter was founded in 1955.

The purpose of the group is to help care for disabled veterans and to help them return to a useful way of living.