Signs opposing the expansion dot the yards of local homes, even as Army surveyors have begun work on what will be a new training center, The Hartford (Conn.) Courant reported Sunday.

The Base Realignment and Closure Act, passed by Congress in 2007, requires the base be put in Middletown, and Mayor Sebastian Giuliano has said the city will gain from its presence, the newspaper said.

Conservationists, however, say the land is extremely valuable natural habitat. Residents, whose homes have been facing rustic woodlands, say their quality of life will be greatly diminished when their homes overlook an army installation.

The expansion's opponents may still avoid such a fate. Connecticut Light & Power Co. has yet to negotiate the official sale of the land to the military, and under state law Connecticut would have 270 days to counter the Army's offer.