Yellow Box Environmental LLC plans to open an environmental recovery and transfer station on Highway 198 between Gun Barrel City and Mabank in January 2015.

The facility will employ about a dozen full-time workers initially and possibly expand to twice that many people with growth. The two-year-old company picks up construction waste primarily, and it transports it to a Dallas County landfill 45 miles away from the site of the planned facility.

The company is owned by brothers Chris and Nathan Bullard who are pictured below. They hosted a town hall meeting at Gun Barrel City Hall April 14 to explain their plans to neighbors of the project. About 40 people attended the meeting.

Nathan Bullard said the company is doing well, and it wants to build the transfer station in order to consolidate collections from 8 trucks into one large container shipment to reduce fuel costs, environmental emissions and road wear.

"We're growing a little bit, and we think we will continue to grow," Bullard told the audience.

The company started with 10 trucks two years ago, and it now operates 80, he said.

He promised the audience there would be no collection of hazardous materials at the site, and that every effort would be made to reduce eyesores, noise, odors and litter. The grounds around the facility will be surrounded by trees, shrubs and grass of a "park-like" quality.

The company started clearing the property at 546 Gun Barrel Lane, which is in the extra territorial jurisdiction of Henderson County, about a year ago. The application for an operation permit will be submitted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality this month.

Bullard said all of the work separating recyclable products from ones that must be taken to a landfill will occur inside a building.

Bullard said he and his brother are committed to being good neighbors and contributing to the community. He agreed to consider all requests, such as not operating trucks during school bus hours, and to participate in the annual Cedar Creek Lake clean-up.

"I'll commit now," Bullard said. "I'll be involved in the community. I'm not here to rape and pillage."

The facility will operate on a Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule, Bullard said. There will be about 10 trucks daily carrying about 100 cubic yards of materials, he said.

There will be no medical waste, dead animals, pesticides, restaurant food or anything else with strong odors, Bullard said.

"If it smells bad and stinks, we are not going to accept it," Bullard said.

Representatives of East Cedar Creek Lake Fresh Water Supply District were on hand at the meeting, and they advised Bullard they planned to hold him to his word to ensure that the water in Cedar Creek Lake did not get contaminated.

Several members of the audience asked questions, and Bullard said afterwards he thought the community interaction had been beneficial for the business and the residents.

City Manager Gerry Boren said he also thought the meeting had served a good purpose.