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The “Gong” Show AoN Ep. 663 The Cultural Hall

By January 25, 2023Episodes
  • Temple Dedication
    • San Juan Puerto Rico – #176
    • https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2023/1/15/23556387/san-juan-temple-dedication-prophetic-promise-fulfilled-elder-christofferson
      • 15 January 2023 – Elder Christofferson
      • ““The temple will bless this island,” he said. “It has had a lot of challenges in recent years, natural disasters and other kinds of difficulties that have been serious and caused a lot of destruction. It will make a difference.”
      • “This will bring what we need,” Elder Alvarado (Puerto Rican Native) said. “Puerto Rico needs joy, it needs happiness. There is so much beauty around us, but now with the temple, people can have hope of a better Puerto Rico.”
        • Previous trips to Washington DC or Florida
        • “The temple is small, but like these small islands here, the impact is huge,”
        • Amarilis Alvarez said she has noticed that people coming from many different places want to come see the temple — even from large cruise ships that stop at the port in San Juan. Cars drive up to the front and people take photos.
      • 5 Stakes in Puerto Rico, 1 district in Lesser Antilles
    • Temple Groundbreaking
      • Querétaro México Temple
        • https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2023/1/9/23546369/3-general-authority-seventies-groundbreaking-queretaro-mexico-temple-lds-construction-begins
        • 7 January 2023 – Elder Adrián Ochoa (Mexico Area Presidency)
        • Two former Mexico area presidents were there – De Hoyos, Valenzuela
          • Bother in the temple department now
        • 16th in Mexico (of 23)
        • 8th largest metro area in Mexico – Tied with Cancun for the largest growth
        • Temple Site Announcement
          • Barcelona Spain Temple
          • Temple Reconstruction Announced
            • Anchorage Alaska Temple
              • https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2023/1/23/23565588/anchorage-alaska-temple-resizing-reconstructing-relocating-plans
              • Meetinghouse next to the temple will be demolished in early 2024 and a new temple will be built at that address to be finished in Summer 2026.
                • No Moroni on new temple
              • When the new temple is finished, the old temple will be decommissioned and replaced with a meetinghouse. The temple will remain open during construction
              • The temple was one of three “test temples” dedicated under President Hinckley in 1999.
                • Later expanded and rededicated in 2004 to have two ordinance rooms
                • New temple will also have two ordinance rooms of 40 seats (Same size), but won’t be progressive style.
                  • Size will increase from 12k sq ft to 30k sq ft.
                • Construction Updates
                  • Heber Valley Utah
                    • https://www.kpcw.org/wasatch-county/2023-01-18/lds-church-applies-to-change-dark-sky-rules
                    • Church Applies to amend “dark skies” regulations of Wasatch County
                      • Rule does not allow lights to shine upwards
                      • Church wants temple lit up until 10pm and again at 5:30 am.
                    • Salt Lake
                      • Drilling of vertical shafts for cables to tie in the base isolators under foundation
                    • Manti Utah
                      • Tower restoration finished – off white and darker roof
                    • Deseret Peak Utah
                      • Installation of steeple copper dome – Temple topped off (RIP Moroni)
                    • Red Cliffs Utah
                      • Exterior lighting on, interior work happening, hot air balloon photos
                    • Feather River California
                      • Furniture arriving soon, final inspections will follow. Open House committee Formed
                    • Yorba Linda California
                      • Waiting for electrical transformer in middle of property to be removed to be able to start construction – 6 months since construction
                    • Willamette Valley Oregon
                      • Site Preparation happening, building permits not yet issued, members are fasting
                    • Brasilia Brazil
                      • Open house committee formed, temple nearly completed
                    • Okinawa Japan
                      • Landscaping finished, lights are on, parking lot extended at meetinghouse
                    • Bangkok Thailand
                    • Non-Temple Construction
                      • New Institute Building in Logan
                      • Wilton Connecticut
                        • https://goodmorningwilton.com/pz-new-cafe-a-ok-but-church-of-lds-meeting-house-disappoints/
                        • Church has been attempting to build a meetinghouse across the street from town hall.
                        • Town architectural review board has been trying to get them to follow local design standards
                        • Church reps want building to be identifiable to members:
                          • ““That front elevation is kind of iconic for members of the church of Latter-Day Saints. A lot of the buildings have that style going on. One of the things we were charged through as a design team was to try to make this identifiable to members and to also kind of fall in line,” Benning said.
                          • “This is a project that is unusual for the church. This team and our client in Salt Lake as well, we’ve all worked together to provide something that’s unique to this particular area. We work all across the country on these projects and I need you to know that this is a very custom project that is designed for your community,” he said.
                        • Efforts have been underway since June, the Board was happy about the design
                          • You’ve done a wonderful job with this version… the building looks great”
                        • But the Planning and Zoning commission is pissed, contradicting the board, they want a design that is
                          • ““When you show me colonial design inspiration and then… the building you’re doing here… It’s like being inspired by dogs and then presenting cats to me because this building looks nothing like your inspirational photos”
                          • ““The client and the budget and the pushing doesn’t inspire me to back off, to be honest. We see a lot of applications, a lot of applicants spend money that they might not have planned on spending in order to satisfy something under a special permit and an approval that is necessary. So I really don’t like hearing that to be honest”
                          • ““It’s just, just frustrating when applicants listen to our concerns and just don’t incorporate them. And I think this should be reiterated yet again, I don’t think it can be reiterated enough: none of us has an issue with the religious aspect or their religious standards at all. It’s really just that they haven’t listened to our concerns and they’re not incorporating them,”
                          • ““This is a building, it’s voluntary. You’re coming to us and we are in Wilton, Connecticut. We’re not in Mesa, Arizona or El Paso, Texas. This is our community and the reason we exist here is to try to enhance it, preserve and protect it. And the aesthetic is part of that conversation. So your client needs to get on board with where they’re building this building and I really don’t like hearing about what they get pushed to do”
                        • Church reps asked for an up or down vote
                          • “Well, we’re sort of at a loggerhead, and I think the bottom line is we’ve made significant revisions to the site and to the building. … at this point, our client has asked us to please take this forward as an up or down decision,”
                          • Commission will deliberate for 65 days and make sure they aren’t violating any Religious protections.

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