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Provo residents still mourning church's razing

Anyone who has any dealings with developers is not surprised at this fiasco.

Too bad the LDS church didn't step in and buy the building. They could have presereved and converted it into a cool stake center.

Or someone with vision could have remodeled it into some cool condos, creative office space, or some other use. Buildings with character are hard to find in Utah, and this one should have been preserved.

I used to rent it for local music concerts and it was glorious. The accoustics were great and the place was just cool.

Had Provo had a Mayor that cared more about the community rather than buying more votes for his reelection next year this building should have and could have been saved. But as is Mayor Billings way, instead of leading he stepped back and let the citizens he is supposed to represent and protect get walked all over by big money. I wonder how much money this developer will line his pockets with next year for not participating, not taking a stand, or for in the very least not being a mayor and backing his citizens. It is time for a new mayor Provo.

I grew up worshiping in that building, I rode a float in the Provo's 4th of July parade modeled after it, it's a part of my heritage and identity, and I'm sad to know that it's gone. But it was structurally unsound and unsafe -- the reason why our congregation moved to a new facility in the first place -- and an earthquake of the type Provo is due to receive could have toppled it. It had become a prime spot for drug dealers and vandals and for homeless men who built fires inside to keep warm. I loved that building, but I wouldn't put a single human life at risk to have kept it standing and for that reason, I'm glad it's gone. Preservation has its place, but we should keep our priorities firmly in perspective.

To "New Mayor Needed":
Mayor Billings is the one that facilitated the deal to postpone the delisting. He was very much in favor with the neighbor's proposal to save the building. He withstood the virulent cursing from father mike during the same city council meeting. And in the end, it was him and his family that mowed the lawn of the St. Francis Church after many months of neglect. Instead, sir/madam maybe you should meet the mayor and see what he does for Provo.

To Sarah Christopherson:
Your congregation moved because of lack of parking. J.B. Goates indicated considerable interest on behalf of the church to add on to the existing building, but Provo City Parking requirements proved too stringent in the end, forcing a move to a larger parcel of land.
The Cathedral of the Madeleine was structurally unsound as well. "Unsound" can be remedied.
Also, your comments of drug dealers and vandals and homeless are unsubstantiated. Provo City Police Department does not have any records of your stories.
We often run with our blinders on without looking at solutions that benefit the greater population. The Church should have been saved.
Now will someone mow the lawns!

Worshiping with basket ball hoops over head. Sound like they must be in a mormon church when the overflow is opened.

I got a guided tour of the building last year. It sure wasn't built to current earthquake codes, but what is? From what I could see it was very sound--just not built to house the size of congregation the Catholic Church needs to take care of. It was a beautiful building, and a testament to the love and dedication of the parishoners who sacrificed to build it.

Maybe you should suffer first hand like all Provo City Employees have at the hands of this tyrant. The only three words ever used to describe this "man" is demean, demoralize and denigrate. That is all he does as he looks down his nose at everyone demanding everything be done his way because ONLY he knows best. How many meetings have you withstood with him when you lay decades of professional experience on the table for him to tell you that you are wrong because (in his own words) "that is not the answer I want!"? You have no idea what kind of person he is! Mowing the lawn? Political stunt! That is all this empty suit is - political theater. He continues to run this city into the ground through his ideas and managing such "successes" as iProvo, Action Target Deal, The East Bay Golf Course for Development fiasco! That is just to name a few from just 2007-08 alone! You have no idea what you are talking about. After decades working for Provo I have seen first hand the sheer damage he has wreaked on this community I love. Don't preach to me, I lived the nightmare!

The Provo City Council votes on all the deals you lay at the Mayor's feet... what gives with that?

The Mayor doesn't even have a vote on most issues before the council... so it sounds like your beef is really with the Provo City Council. Is it not? On this building issue in particular, they are the ones that removed the historical status of the building allowing it to be torn down...

The building was an eye sore for the city of Provo. The corner looks much better now.

Apparently you are so in love with Mayor Billings that you cannot even see reality. The Mayor IS the one that instituted and pushed all of these projects. They were his "babies." You cannot separate him as the father of all these ideas! Blame it on whomever you want they are still his! He is the one that has "MANAGED" these projects and many more over the past decade of his rule and he alone should take responsibility for those decisions he made. Poor decisions and poor management equal millions (over 60 million and counting with iProvo)out of tax payer pockets. If you want to pay for them pick up the tab yourself but this Provo tax payer refuses to stand idly by as this Mayor continues to destroy this community. What do you think now that Sorenson Capital has pulled funding from Broadweave and that deal is about to collapse? Who is to blame for that? Now the Mayor is talking about going back out for an RFP on iProvo who shares the responsibility for not doing that in the first place? When Provo gets iProvo back who will do the work now that all employees were released?

To Timp Neighborhood,

I am aware of the parking problem. I'm also aware of the fact that even while we were still using the upstairs portion of the building, we stopped using the downstairs portion because it was deemed to be no longer safe. Furthermore, to argue that because one building labeled "unsound" was rehabbed that therefore another building, a vastly different building, should be saved is silly on its face.

But mostly I'm curious how in the world saving the building would have served the greater interests of the population. It presented a safety hazard and while you might feel comfortable putting lives at risk in pursuit of some ephemeral public good, I am not. (Particularly as I'm still not clear how saving the building serves that good.)

Stuck in historic Provo. Commitees and organizations try and save buildings and revitalize downtown. The "hole in the bucket" just happens to be that preserving places and the status quo leads to stagnation, not revitalization. Move forward with new ways, new people on the city council, and new buildings and roads.

You also forgot we need a new mayor! Why are there no term limits in Provo? He has served already three terms and is planning for a fourth! ENOUGH!

It's not Mayor Billings is a bad man, it's just that he is a very bad manager.For eaxample, I'm sure he had no intention of squandering $60 million for iProvo. He was led there with the help of other bad managers. He probably had no intention of allowing a very special piece of our Provo heritage to be destroyed, he just had no intention to stop it from happening.

Obviously you have not worked for Billings. Agreed, he is not only a terrible manager. This is made obvious by the fact that the City spends more money now then ever and gets even less in return. We are the only City in Utah County sporting million dollar budget shortfalls. But he also is a "bad man" from the perspective of how condescending he is to all he comes in contact with. He not only believes he knows more - he tells you - even when you have over 20 years of professional experience and he has none in that area. The only "intentions" he has is to continue to put his personal interests above us citizens that have to pay for all of the money he has squandered on wasteful projects rather than meeting the real "needs" of the citizens.