PROVO TABERNACLE TEMPLE: foundations, walls, streets, parking

The real work of rebuilding the Provo Tabernacle Temple now begins.

Provo's government should support and carry out the following policy items concerning the project:

1 Rebuilding the Tabernacle-temple will be an expensive, difficult, major undertaking. However, Provo City government must insist the foundation have earthquake seismic reinforcements and seismic shock absorbers similar to what the Utah State Capitol has under it. It is not a question of whether Provo will get rocked by a 7.0+ earthquake; the question is when. The city must require the temple be prepared.

2 Provo should insist the temple employ fire protection and alarm systems we can trust implicitly. That should go without saying, but the problem with that is people would not say it.

3 Those ancient, nineteenth-century brick walls need steel reinforcement and seismic reinforcement. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should also assure Provo smoke damage to the walls will not cause bad smells and lung-breathing risks to temple workers or patrons.

4 Provo should encourage the Post Office to move and sell its property to The LDS Church for its new temple square. For starters, the building is old (nearly 50), way out-of-date, and too small for Provo's needs. Furthermore, its location has never really been ideal. The 100 North 100 West Post Office location (pre-1963) made a far better site. That was why the feds took it for The Will Robinson Federal Building. Provo should encourage the Post Office to build a big and modern facility somewhere in central Provo.

5 The location of the Provo Tabernacle Temple poses security problems that Provo should address without delay. The building stands close to both 100 South and University Avenue, a sitting duck for drive-by terrorist outrages from two streets. Provo should volunteer to close down 100 South between University Avenue and 100 West and give it to the new temple square. Thus, the temple will address security risks from only one street. Provo set the precedent by closing a street for the NuSkin project. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints deserves the same consideration.

6 100 South Street running west will become an important access street to the new temple square. This means it will need a traffic light at 500 West Street.

7 When the piece of 100 South Street closes, 200 South Street will become a major east-west thoroughfare. It will need new traffic lights at 500 West, Freedom Blvd., and University Avenue.

8 Provo should encourage if not insist The L D S Church build an underground parking garage under the park. We do not want to encourage much of ugly parking around a beautiful Church Building. Frankly, Provo should encourage NuSkin to donate their parking garage land to the Church and then build a new parking terrace in the block to the west. If the Church builds its own parking structure, it will need to build a sophisticated planter box structure for the trees, shrubs, lawn, and flowers in the park. Fortunately, experienced architects can design such a structure. The added parking out-of-sight will benefit everyone in the long-run future.

This restoration can evolve into something good or something great depending on what sort of planning goes into the project, starting today.