They cheered the future and honored the past at a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday marking the start of construction on the Uplands Townhomes public housing project.

The complex eventually will replace the old Sangre de Cristo Apartments -- a barracks-like complex of 212 units built in 1952 and known as "The Bricks" -- with 212 modern, well-landscaped townhomes featuring small porches and privacy fencing.

The area also will get new streets, mini-parks, walking paths, playgrounds and an outdoor basketball court.

"So close to Christmas, what a wonderful present for the community," said Joe Mahoney, director of Pueblo Catholic Charities and board chairman of the Pueblo Housing Authority, the agency that spearheaded the project.

Mahoney was among a half-dozen community leaders who spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony attended by about 50 people.

Also in attendance was Velma Navarro, a Pueblo native who now serves as the Denver-based multi-state regional public housing director for the federal Office of Housing and Urban Development.

"I am so proud of Pueblo right now," she said.

Site preparation work on the $15 million, 72-unit first phase is underway at a 5-acre site of vacant land at 1400 Acero Ave., just to the east of the existing apartment complex, which is on South Prairie Avenue across the street from Albertson's.

The second and third phases will roll out after sections of the existing complex are vacated and razed. Using such an approach, current residents will be able to stay in their apartments until their new townhomes are ready for occupancy.

The housing is for families and individuals who qualify for federal Section 8 housing assistance.

Many of Wednesday's speakers recounted the highs and lows of Pueblo's decade-long push to replace the industrial-looking, limited-function apartments, also known as "The Projects." Many of them feature only a single bathroom on an upper floor.

However, they also took time to reflect on the old complex's value to the city over the years.

Built in an era when some of Pueblo's poor slept on dirt floors and went without running water, the apartments were a jewel at that time and remain an adequate and safe -- albeit limited -- housing option today, they said.

"That certainly was a miracle for the people who were able to benefit, but it has outlived its usefulness," Pueblo City Council President Steve Nawrocki told the estimated 50 people in attendance at the ceremony at the construction site.

City Councilman Ray Aguilera, whose district includes the apartment complex and who has long lobbied for its replacement, stressed the importance of quality housing in a community.

"Having a job and a place to live are the greatest things anyone can have," he said.

Ted Ortiviz, director of the Pueblo Housing Authority, said the Uplands project represents one of the biggest local, state and federal collaborative projects in the region's history.

He extended thanks to PB&T Bank, Legacy Bank, HGF Architects, Cortez Construction and its partner iCon Construction, state and federal housing agencies, local governments and the Robert Wood-Johnson Foundation.

He also thanked the Sangre de Cristo Apartments' current and past residents for taking an active role in the planning and lobbying effort.

"Our residents weren't asking for a whole lot. Simple amenities such as privacy, security, safety for their kids," he said.

The Housing Authority staff and board members stayed with the planning for more than 10 years and eventually secured the necessary private and public financing and housing tax credits, Ortiviz said. "It's been a long, long process," he said.

ddarrow@chieftain.com