When the Monarch Levee succumbed to the Missouri River a decade ago, Chesterfield Valley business owners were left with a difficult choice.

"The choice," House Speaker Catherine Hanaway said Wednesday, "was, do we wallow in despair, do we walk away, do we say yeah, it was nice, we gave it a shot? ... Or do we rebuild and make it even better than it was before?

"And, thankfully, the overwhelming majority of businesses said we're going to rebuild, we're going to do it better, it's going to be even better than it was before."

Such was the tone of a gathering of the Chesterfield Valley Coalition on Wednesday in which Hanaway, Chesterfield Mayor John Nations and St. Louis County Executive George R. "Buzz" Westfall praised the efforts of those responsible for the city's comeback from the Flood of 1993.

"It was a real shot to the groin, it was painful," said Westfall, summing up the flood's impact. "Obviously, we've made dramatic improvements since then."

The coalition was formed to help in the cleanup and recovery of the valley after a break in the levee allowed floodwater to pour into the valley. Eventually, the coalition - made up primarily of businesses in the valley - changed its focus to long-term economic issues, particularly the completion of a 500-year levee to protect the area.

"Many are amazed at what has transpired," said Nations at the luncheon, which was held at the Doubletree Hotel and Conference Center in Chesterfield. "Maybe we shouldn't be."

Hanaway, R-Warson Woods, said Wednesday - the 10th anniversary of the day the levee broke - was a day for recalling the disaster of 1993, but also a day to look forward. She capped her address with a presentation of a proclamation from Gov. Bob Holden, dubbing the day Chesterfield Valley Coalition Day.