Cleanup at base a focus of meeting

Those are two of the major issues that will be discussed June 30 at an informational meeting hosted by the Advocates for Rockland, Abington, Weymouth, and Hingham, a volunteer watchdog group that has been closely following redevelopment of the shuttered military base.

Federal environmental officials say the land where the mixed-use development would go is fine and ready for construction. But the Advocates citizens group won a $50,000 technical assistance grant last year from the US Environmental Protection Agency, and enlisted consultants to review the environmental cleanup efforts and the plans to build 2,855 homes and 2 million square feet of commercial space on the old base, which closed 13 years ago.

The two consulting firms — E{+2} Inc. and Cambridge Environmental Inc. — have looked at several issues that need to be addressed before the new “smart growth’’ community of SouthField can be built. Mary Parsons, a former Rockland selectwoman and founding member of the Advocates group, said the goal of the June 30 meeting is to “enlighten folks about what’s going on over there.’’

Parsons, who lives near the base, said: “People should care. At some point people are going to be living or working on that base. They should know what’s there.’’

One issue of concern is water. The developers’ original plan was to build a 6-mile pipeline connecting SouthField with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority system, but according to E{+2} Inc.’s report, the pipeline has not been designed or funded. For now, the developers plan to use water from Weymouth’s system to supply the first 500 homes.

Another issue is waste water. The Advocates have asked consultants to look at the proposed on-site sewage treatment plant, and examine what effect that could have on French’s Stream, which runs through part of the base.

The group is also concerned about the financial impact SouthField could have on surrounding towns, and how municipal services — schools, police, fire protection — will be provided.

The South Shore Tri-Town Development Corporation, which acts as the municipal government of the base, is a temporary entity that’s set to dissolve by 2053. After that, according to E{+2} Inc., “Surrounding towns may, in the future, shoulder the financial burden of providing municipal services to the SouthField community.’’

The master developer, LNR Property Corp., disagrees. The Miami Beach-based company says surrounding towns will not be hit with the tab for municipal services because South Shore Tri-Town is now in the position to collect tax revenues to cover such costs.

There are also environmental issues still to be resolved.

The Navy has been leading cleanup efforts on the base, but much work remains.

“We’ve got a number of big sites that still need a remedy. It’s going to take a couple more years before those get in place,’’ said Kymberlee Keckler, a remedial project manager with the EPA, the lead regulatory agency overseeing the Navy’s cleanup.

Keckler said the land owned by the LNR Property Corp. is fine, and ready to be built upon. The contaminated areas scattered across the 1,400-acre property don’t pose a danger, she said, because “there’s really no one on the base right now. It’s limited access. A lot of it is ground-water contamination, too, and that’s not something you’d be exposed to, even if you were trespassing.’’

Cambridge Environmental Inc. recommended that additional ground-water testing samples be collected at Hangar One, since the last ones were collected in 2002. The June 30 meeting is expected to focus on the consultant’s report on contamination at Hangar One and on E{+2} Inc.’s preliminary report on the water and sewer situation at the former base. According to the Advocates group, copies of both reports will be available at the meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. in the Jones Room of the Tufts Library, at 46 Broad St. in Weymouth. Residents of Abington, Rockland, Weymouth, and Hingham are invited to attend.

Redevelopment of the former base has been in the works for years.

The watchdog group says SouthField, on the drawing board since 2002, is a complex project that has been tedious to follow, even for its members.

“We were just people going to the meetings, asking questions,’’ said Dominic J. Galluzzo, a Weymouth resident and outspoken critic of the project.

Area residents may be out of the loop because of the nature of the project and the length of time it’s taken, he said.

“It’s become so drawn out, and there’s been so many twists and turns in the road,’’ said Galluzzo. “We want to make sure this project will not hurt the surrounding communities.’’

Keckler said the EPA is trying to keep the community engaged in the process.

“We oversee everything the Navy’s doing. In general they’re doing a pretty good job,’’ said Keckler. “There is oversight.’’

Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney.