uilding a chaldean
uilding a chaldean ‘palace’ Facility will be ‘Shenandoah of the East’ BY KEN MARTEN Chaldeans living on Metro Detroit’s east side are enhancing their presence. The St. Joseph Knights of Columbus Council 9154, which boasts of membership of about 270, is building a new clubhouse that’ll also serve as a banquet hall. Its official name, for now, is the East Side Palace. But council president Jamal Bakou, 50, said the name could change if someone submits an ear-catching suggestion. “Already, they call it the ‘Shenandoah of the east side,’” Bakou said, referencing the Chaldeanowned Shenandoah Country Club in West Bloomfield. “The outside is done. Now we’re working on the inside. I’m hoping that within three or four months, the work will be done.” Despite the implication tied to the Palace’s unofficial nickname, Bakou rejects the sometimes popular belief that the east and westside Chaldeans compete against one another like sibling rivals. “We are a very, very tight community, and I like to keep a bridge between the eastside and westside,” said Bakou, a Clinton Township resident. “There is no competition.” Jamal Bakou stands in front of the construction site. Bakou, who owns the Marysville Plaza with his four brothers and is also a sales representative for U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, has been a member of the council for 24 years and president for the last six. He credits his predecessor, former council president Louis Essak, for realizing the Chaldean community’s needs and beginning the effort to build a new hall. “There’s a demand,” Bakou said. “The Chaldean community on the eastside is growing.” The council’s former facility on Mound, nearly 100 years old, is approximately 2,000 square feet and has the meager capacity of 150. It revealed its age via a litany of maintenance problems. Bakou said the new facility, built from the ground up on vacant land, is approximately 9,000 square feet and will accommodate about 500 guests. “It’ll be open for everyday activities for our members,” Bakou PHOTO BY NORA BAHROU DOWNS said. “We also plan to rent it to the public for weddings, engagement parties and other activities.” Bakou said total construction costs are between .5 and million. It’s being financed by selling shares in the Palace at ,000 a share. “I want everyone to have a brick in there,” Bakou said. “What I need is for the whole Chaldean community to come forward and help with this. We’re okay with money for this, but it doesn’t hurt to have a little more.” To help raise funds, the council is selling raffle tickets for a new Mercury Grand Marquis. The winner will be selected at the Palace grand opening. The East Side Palace is on Mound Road in Sterling Heights between 16 Mile and 17 Mile roads, about a mile north of the council’s old building. “That is actually the center of the Chaldean church communities,” Bakou said. “We’re right in the middle.” St. Joseph Catholic Chaldean Parish, to which the council is affiliated, is to the west on Big Beaver Road in Troy. St. George Chaldean Catholic Church is to the north on Dequindre Road in Shelby Township. Once the council settles into the East Side Palace, Bakou plans to grow its membership by focusing on the younger generation. “My No. 1 concern next year will be youth,” he said. “We’re targeting the young kids to make them members and to teach them Bible study. My life is to serve the community and the church.” The Knights of Columbus has councils across the country. Its national headquarters encourages charitable programs to begin at the grassroots level to meet local needs. Bakou said the main focus of the St. Joseph Knights of Columbus Council 9154 is helping children with cognitive disabilities. WIN A NEW CAR! Buy a raffle ticket to help finance the East Side Palace Knights of Columbus. You could win a new Mercury Grand Marquis. Tickets are . Call Jamal Bakou at (586) 263-1974 or (586) 216-6583. Shares in the East Side Palace are also available. 32 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2007
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