The future of the state-owned airport, whether it should be expanded or closed and redeveloped, has been debated for decades, heating up again last summer. The airport is overseen by the Connecticut Airport Authority, so the state would have to initiate — and likely pay for — any environmental study on the 200-acre airfield. Concerns about soil contamination under the airport surfaced publicly last week, raised by Mike McGarry, chairman of the Greater Hartford Flood Control Commission, and others. Opponents of closing the airport are lining up in force, forming the Hartford-Brainard Airport Association. The association and other supporters of the airport argue the city should use Brainard as an amenity to attract new businesses to relocate to Hartford. The CAA has said it has no plans to close the airport. But there may be other other avenues, including through the state legislature.
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