What's up with the recycler that seems dormant?

Dear Answer Man: No one I know seems to know what is going on at the recycling business at the corner of Third Avenue and 20th Street Southeast. The business has been slowing down for the past several years, and now seems to be almost nonexistent. Some have speculated that the property has contaminated soil due to the business there, and would be hard to sell. If anyone would know what the future is for that corner in Rochester it would be the ever-knowing Answer Man. — Just Wonderin’.

Dear Wonderin',

Your faith in Answer Man is encouraging. Hopefully, my sleuthing has uncovered the answers you seek.

For starters, I assume you're writing about Rochester Iron & Metal, a recycling business on the corner of the intersection you've described.

Honestly, getting answers is a lot more difficult than just calling the business and asking some questions. But let's take a moment to look at the business itself.

That location used to be home to Rochester Metal Recycling, owned by Gene Jennings. The business still exists as far as I can tell and is still owned by Jennings.

What's more, the business under its current name — registered at that location — was permitted by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for stormwater runoff "associated with industrial activity." That permit was issued on April 1, 2020, and runs through March 31, 2025.

According to Olmsted County property tax records, the business is up to date on its tax payments.

Go to Google and look up the business — don't confuse it with Rochester Iron & Metal in Rochester, Indiana — and you'll see hours of operation listed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays excluding Wednesday. There's a phone number. There are Google reviews, one posted as recently as a few months ago.

All that sounds like a business that is open and ready to take some scrap metal.

That said, Answer Man and some of his helpers have stopped by the business a time or two — you're not the first person to ask about it, Wonderin' — and not found anyone there.

Answer Man has called that phone number multiple times over multiple days. No one has answered. The phone just rings.

Drive past and you'll see an empty scrapyard and a lack of activity on the site.

What does that mean?

Well, since Answer Man couldn't track down anyone at the business itself, he reached out to others in the recycling business in Olmsted County. Not wanting to go on the record about a competing business, several businesses have said the rumor — the hearsay — is that Rochester Iron & Metal is not the busiest of businesses, or perhaps might no longer be in business at all.

As for any thoughts of environmental cleanup, Michael Rafferty, spokesman with with MPCA, said, "In checking with our staff, MPCA found no pending or past enforcement actions for Rochester Iron & Metal Recycling."

That's certainly good news and points to a good steward of the site.

Basically, all this indicates Rochester Iron & Metal is or was a business with a long history of helping to keep our environment clean in the Rochester area. As for what might lie ahead, we can hope the property is the site of something prosperous and beneficial to the community.

Don't let your concerns lay on the scrap heap. Send questions to Answer Man at [email protected].