10.05.25
Phone call
Conversation with Danya Gerasimova
Edited by Danya Gerasimova

Joe Wilson is a resident of Riverview, MO and a member of the Chain of Rocks Community Association.
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Danya Gerasimova:

How long have you lived in Riverview?

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Joe Wilson:

Thirty and a half years. I’ve worked in the City a lot of my years. I taught for St. Louis Public Schools. The wife and I met when we were in our apprenticeship at the Missouri Athletic Club. I've worked for the Federal Reserve Bank and Rizzo’s Top of the Riverfront Restaurant at the Old Regal Riverfront Hotel. So I've had a lot of City jobs, but I've been in the County for a while.

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Danya Gerasimova:

You were telling me you work as a teacher nowadays. Do you teach at the Riverview Gardens High School?

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Joe Wilson:

Yes, it's my fourth year. I teach culinary. It's more of a FACS class, Family and Consumer Sciences. But I've taught everything from Nutrition and Wellness to just general Foods, International Foods, Safety and Sanitation. 

Three years after my Missouri Athletic Club apprenticeship, I moved on to a decent job. I wasn't the chef, but I worked for the Federal Reserve Bank, which had benefits I’d never seen before being a cook all my life. I wish I would've just stayed there. But somebody called me one day saying they needed a chef, and that was my ultimate goal. So I moved on from there.

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Danya Gerasimova:

You are also a member of the Chain of Rocks Community Association (CORCA). When did you get involved?

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Joe Wilson:

That had to be 15 years ago. Since CORCA is a St. Louis City based organization, I think we might've been the first County people to ask if we could join. And then I had some other friends in Riverview that joined. It's only $10 a year for a chance to get involved and take care of the area.

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Danya Gerasimova:

What brought you to Riverview?

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Joe Wilson:

The wife and I were both still living at home. I've been in the County all my life. She grew up in the City. We met in our employment, hit it off, and went out for a while. We were still living at home and decided we wanted to buy a house. I suggested this area because I knew we would get more for our money than if we went to St. Charles or South County. We looked at three or four houses and settled on this one. And I think we did well. Part of our decision to get this house was because it was more secluded. It's an acre and a third. It's a lot of trees, but a lot of maintenance too.

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Danya Gerasimova:

What was the neighborhood like when you moved in and what is it like now? What changes have you noticed in the 30 years of living here?

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Joe Wilson:

We live on Valley Dr. It’s a nice quiet street. People still use it as a cut through from Riverview to Glasgow Village, but not as much as they used to. We used to call in shots fired just about every week or every other week, and that hasn't been so bad lately either. And there were already vacant properties, but I think it's gotten a little worse in that regard. There have been more vacant houses from people we knew moving out. But we've got some good neighbors: some new people that moved in and some old neighbors.

Some of the stores have closed. We were disappointed when Shop and Save went out of business. Bissell Market used to be a great butcher shop. That's where the new Ruler Foods is now. There was an old time tavern in that same plaza as Ruler Foods. They got kicked out by the owner of the plaza, maybe Ruler Foods, so they moved down to Chambers Road at Toelle Lane, right by the church there. But they went out of business too.

‍The main change was that we had a man come in, get on the Board of Riverview, and then get everybody to vote the Village of Riverview into a third class city. Then he got on the ballot and was elected mayor. So I think it was premeditated. I didn't care if we were a village or a city, but that's the biggest change that's happened. He is trying to make improvements though. He has put in a lot of speed bumps and things like that. St. Louis traffic is an issue everywhere.

If you don't know, you need to research what Riverview Drive used to look like. It used to be four lanes. You could get passed just about anywhere on that street. So it went down to two lanes, but it still had a lot of shoulder, and people would still pass you. Then they put up a concrete curb down the middle of Riverview, so you can't pass. Still, you'll have somebody come up on you really quick and even try to pass you at the U-turn lane.

There's still way too much litter, way too much lawlessness. I see a lot more dumping. I've always hated littering. I don't understand why somebody can't find a vacant dumpster instead of throwing their trash in my woods. Another change that our mayor made was blocking off Bluff Rd and Adrian Dr. I guess a lot of people were dumping back there too. But now that people coming from the City can't go that way, they take either Chambers Rd or Valley Dr to get to Glasgow Village. So people dump trash right on the shoulder of our street. I'm sure there are other places too. It's been yard waste, garbage from people's houses, furniture. 

Usually, if I call Riverview City Hall, they're pretty good about coming out and taking care of it. But on my street, Valley Drive, the block before Riverview is all City, so that complicates things a little bit. If I call 911, it's going to the County Police Cooperative. They usually get somebody reporting if it's "shots fired" or any other activity. I've been happy with the response most of the time. But being on the edge of the City and Riverview in the County, it does get a little more complicated. 

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Danya Gerasimova:

Does your neighborhood have mostly home owners or renters?

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Joe Wilson:

It's both.

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Danya Gerasimova:

Can you talk a little more about what you do with CORCA?

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Joe Wilson:

Oh, anything. We do a lot of scheduled trash pickups with our group. We did have a yearly car show on the old Chain of Rocks Bridge. We've pretty much had to abandon it because of the cost and the number of members we have. We didn't have the help that could get it done. 

Improvements to the Chain of Rocks Bridge Park that leads you onto the old bridge was another big change in the neighborhood. And even though they did a really nice job, it doesn't have the parking that it used to. We used to just park on the gravel and the grass, but now we would have to shuttle everybody from another location to the car show. It became too expensive and too complicated. If you look at the website, you'll see pictures of old car shows, and it was quite an event. We had a hundred cars lined up on that old bridge before, and that was the draw. The Route 66 guys really wanted to get a picture of their car on that old bridge.

Changes are coming with the New Chain of Rocks bridge replacement that are affecting businesses already. The gas station that just opened north of I-270 used to be busy with nothing but Illinois plates because people could come over in five minutes, fill up here, and get cheaper gas than they could in Granite City. But now you cannot exit to Riverview. When you are westbound, Lilac Ave is your first exit. It's not that far out of the way, but I believe it's hurting that gas station. I think they are losing money.

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Danya Gerasimova:

Were you aware of the Cementland project as it was developing in Riverview?

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Joe Wilson:

Oh yeah. I was really looking forward to that. And actually, Bob Cassilly moved into City property right around the corner from us when he was starting that project.

I've seen some of the pirate videos online of people touring the place and showing what it looked like so far. It's just a shame that he had to pass. He had all the plans in his head. And there was also a question about how he passed, because I guess they found him under a bulldozer working by himself. But then somebody said the autopsy showed he was beaten to death or something.

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Danya Gerasimova:

Did you ever interact with Bob Cassilly when he moved to your neighborhood?

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Joe Wilson:

I don't think I ever met the man. I've been to City Museum once and I enjoyed it. I saw the movie that they made about him. [CORCA member] Tony [Rocca] worked for him and with him.

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Danya Gerasimova:

Did you first hear about Cementland just through word of mouth or were there any sort of town halls that Cassilly initiated with the neighbors?

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Joe Wilson:

If there were, I did not attend them. I've only heard stories. I guess he attended whatever meetings he needed to request permission for things. And I heard a story that he asked why we can't clear the brush on the river so people can see to the river. And he was answered with, "We don't have the equipment for that." And he said, "I do." And he went down and did it. He would rather get things done and ask for forgiveness, but he was trying to make a change. 

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Danya Gerasimova:

Did you ever notice that abandoned cement factory in Riverview before Bob Cassilly started working on Cementland?

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Joe Wilson:

Absolutely. I used to drive past it every day.

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Danya Gerasimova:

Do you remember what it was like in the 90's?

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Joe Wilson:

Not really. I never went inside of it. I knew it used to be Portland Cement. It probably was even open when I was a kid. But it's been closed ever since we moved here.

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Danya Gerasimova:

Do you remember it being a dumping area before Cementland?

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Joe Wilson:

No, the only dumping I know of is that he brought in a lot of filler dirt. I don't recall it being a real eyesore any more than any other street in Riverview.

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Danya Gerasimova:

Do you know anyone who lives over in that Riverview cul-de-sac by Cementland on Scranton, Leeton, and West?

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Joe Wilson:

By the train tracks, before you get on St Cyr Rd? I believe our mayor, Mike Cornell, lives there. But he's been in the neighborhood like five years maybe. I don't know how much else he would know. Muddy Mike lived right across the street from Cementland too, right on Scranton. He does not anymore though.

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Danya Gerasimova:

How do you think Cementland would have affected the neighborhood if it was completed?

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Joe Wilson:

Hard to tell, but it couldn't have hurt. We need jobs in North County. We need food service, restaurants, things for the kids to do. I think it would've made a great impact. Now the new Zoo extension is going in right up the street. Most of my highschoolers have never had a job. So now if you got one at the Zoo, you could probably transfer up here in a year or two and work 10 minutes from home. But these kids nowadays don't want to work.

I've got students that work and students that don't even plan on working, don't even want a job yet. And I don't understand that. I was working very early and bought my first car with cash. It is a different mindset, a different work ethic nowadays.

And like I said, North County is a food desert. I used to work at Rizzo's Top of the Tower Restaurant. I worked there for three years. I was a broilerman. I did all the steaks and lots of baked potatoes. It was my first real fine dining experience, the best steak in town, a famous salad presentation. It had a nice restaurant on top, condominiums, and office space. And it just went into neglect. That tower should have been torn down by now. 

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