The construction and demolition at the former US base lands at Southside have been at the centre of controversy -- appearing especially visible in the glaring light produced by the current housing shortage.

But Bermuda Land Development Company spokesperson Don Grearson guided a reporter from The Royal Gazette on a walking tour of the area to explain the vision behind the controversy.

"Our plan is to reintegrate the land back into the community and create job opportunities for Bermudians,'' said Mr. Grearson.

"This whole development plan has been drafted and designed by Bermudians, and we're employing Bermudians to build it.

"And we're pretty excited about what this means for St. David's,'' he added.

"This is an extremely pleasant place to work, but we've had to overcome a few things...people perceive St. David's as being isolated, but it's not -- and the reverse commute is great.'' The first stop on the tour was the asbestos removal and demolition site of the two-bedroom housing units.

The units were at the centre of recent controversy when Health Minister Nelson Bascome and Development and Opportunity Minister Terry Lister hinted the demolition may have been halted had it not been so far advanced.

And People's Coalition for Affordable Housing spokesperson Rosemarie Pedro called for the sacking of BLDC CEO Carl Musson after the "deliberate and calculated vandalism'' of the units.

But this week site supervisor Chriss Addams emphasised that the buildings were structurally unsound.

"None of the buildings were actually fixed to the base except for some nails -- it was very much along the lines of American mobile homes,'' he said.

"It has no structure to it and fibreglass is soaking up water at the bottom like a sponge -- we can take down a building in about an hour,'' he added.

He said the structures were "riddled with vermin'' -- ants, roaches and the infamous 12-inch St. David's centipedes.

"The relatively new vinyl siding looks good from a distance, but the actual units were built in the 70's,'' noted Mr. Grearson.

"They've removed the cross-braces and weakened the structure further and they've built firetraps -- there are no fire walls throughout the length of the roofs.'' And travelling down a flight of steps into the BLDC basement, Mr. Grearson pointed out a stack of papers left over from the military days that called for the evacuation of all the two-bedroom units in the event of a hurricane.

Walking out of the BLDC basement to struggle through thick undergrowth behind a bowling alley, we spotted a few workers with chain saws busily clearing a path.

The path is part of a network of trails being cut by Maximum Enterprises to create a walking trail for quiet walks and lunchtime jogs.

Mr. Grearson said their hope is to link the Southside trails with Kindley Field and St. David's park.

We then took a drive past Carter House -- one of the oldest structures in Bermuda.

The BLDC is in final negotiations with the St. David's Historical Society to lease the house which would see the building renovated into a living museum.

Further along the road, we came to the actual construction site which was a beehive of activity.

Two different construction companies were working to complete the renovations on the units, and Island Steel removed asbestos while Kaissa Ltd. strips and rebuilds the roofs.

Fine Touch Construction was responsible for three of the units and Precision Engineering and Technology Company was responsible for the other seven.

Mr. Grearson said BLDC has assisted both companies by direct purchasing their materials, so they are putting less money on the line for the project.

"This project is an example of how we're trying not just to create job opportunities, but contract opportunities for smaller companies as well,'' said Mr. Grearson.

As Mr. Grearson explained what the final project would look like, the neighbourhood-in-the-making assumed an undeniable charm.

The cottages will be built with traditional Bermudian SKB-type roofs and push-out shutters.

And the inside of the model unit was outfitted with light-coloured wooden cabinets and terra cotta styled tiles.

Mr. Grearson said the housing units were priced between $240,000 and $385,000 depending on the size of the house and the lot size.

Although the units are spaced fairly closely together, Mr. Grearson said the intent was to landscape and hedge the areas to create a feeling of privacy in each of the homes.

A beautiful old church, recently leased to the New Testament Church of God, was nestled in an area of land just across the street from the housing cluster.

And even though some may fear the noise from the nearby airport could rattle their nerves, Mr. Grearson said airplanes accounted for about 15 minutes worth of noise per day.

The first ten units are expected to be completed by January.

"Things are happening here -- our plan is logical and rational, we're building one step at a time,'' Mr. Grearson said.

UP ON THE ROOF -- Workers from Kaissa Ltd. frame, strip and build a new SKB-type roof on each of the new Southside cottages.