More than 600 people signed a petition opposing plans for a nonprofit composting operation on the East Side of Bridgeport.

Park City Compost wants to set up shop across from the nonprofit Hall Neighborhood House, which employees hundreds of people and provides services to thousands of area residents throughout the year.

"We are worried about the facility attracting rodents, putting off a bad smell and causing an increase in traffic through our neighborhood," said Yolanda Jones, who lives on the East Side.

"The work this operation does is great, but it's just not right for our neighborhood," Jones said.

The head of the Park City Compost Initiative is Scott Burns, of Black Rock, and a member of the Bridgeport City Council.

Burns says he will recuse himself from any eventual voting the City Council may do in connection with approving plans for the nonprofit to set up shop at 774 East Main St.

"The simple truth is, our composting process does not emit any bad smell and certainly does not attract rodents, as the temperature inside our curing piles gets as hot at 160 degrees. Regarding traffic, we expect the operation to generate no more than about a dozen trucks a week," Burns said.

The City Council's Contracts Committee will meet Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m., at 45 Lyon Terrace, to discuss potentially approving an access agreement for Park City Compost, Burns said.

Jones, accompanied by about 20 people who turned out Monday to oppose the plan, said, "We will fight this plan every step of the way."