Based on information so graciously provided to me by Rick
Satterfield, who keeps the world aware of the latest temple-related news and
events and the latest up-to-date Church unit information, I have taken another
look at temples whose construction has progressed so rapidly recently. I have,
based on his insight and information, altered slightly the timetable of when
future temple-related events may occur.
Based on what Rick said to me, it appears likely that no further
progress towards a groundbreaking may be made in Arequipa Peru and Rio de
Janeiro Brazil until the Church can find adequately qualified people to take on
the projects. In light of that, the Port-au-Prince Haiti temple may be the next
one to have a groundbreaking scheduled, with such an event announced sometime
during the first few months of 2017 and taking place anywhere from one to two
months later. I will keep an eye on the developments with Arequipa and Rio and
will try to make a more sound prediction about a future groundbreaking when more
is known.
At the Meridian Idaho temple, exterior lighting tests are
underway, and the welcome center at the adjacent stake center has reopened.
Based on this progress update, and because of how soon after such milestones
other temples with a similar status have been scheduled for dedication, I am
predicting that a dedication date for the Meridian Idaho Temple is likely to be
announced within the next 3 or 4 months, and the dedication itself happening in
early August.
In Cedar City,
fencing is being erected, landscaping is progressing, and window frames and art
glass are being installed. In light of the progress there, it is not
unreasonable to believe that the dedication for that temple may announced
within 6 months or less, and scheduled either for late August or early
September.
Tucson, according to Rick, is so close to Cedar City’s level of
completion that they are neck-and-neck in terms of a future completion date. In
Tucson, landscaping structures and water features are being added, and they are
plumbing the water feature on the temple grounds. Based on the information Rick
provided to me, it wouldn’t be surprising to me to see the Tucson and Cedar
City dedications scheduled for around the same time, with an announcement of
these events within 6 months and the actual events in late August or early
September.
In the meantime, I
can foresee the Church finishing renovation on the Jordan River Utah temple
sometime mid-2017, with a rededication announced for either late August or
early September. This is in keeping within the timetable Rick indicated may
prevail in this temple. I don’t know if the Church would announce the events
for Jordan River, Tucson, and Cedar City around the same time, but wouldn’t be surprised
if their dedication ceremonies were within weeks from each other.
Given what I have
read about the temples to be completed in 2018, added to what I have picked up
on by closely watching how the Rome Italy temple construction has spanned such
a long period of time, I believe it is safe to predict that the Concepcion
Chile temple will be the next completed temple, with an open house and
dedication date announced in either late 2017 or early 2018 and set for around
April 2018.
The rededication of the Frankfurt Germany temple could be
announced around the first quarter of 2018 and scheduled for around June of
that same year. Rome could have an open house and dedication announced in early
2018 and set for around August 2018.
The Kinshasa DR
Congo could follow, with an announcement of opening dates during the first
two-thirds of 2018, and a dedication set for October. Durban is on track to
have construction completed within the same amount of time, and could also have
a dedication announced and scheduled for October as well, though it is anyone’s
guess if those announcements could be made within near proximity of each other.
Barranquilla would be my next pick for completion, with a dedication
announced during August, and the actual dedication date in November or
December. Because the temple in Winnipeg is so small and is the only building
involved in the project, it could also well be that construction in Winnipeg
could be completed around August and a dedication scheduled for November or
December.
If progress and plans hold and all these temples are dedicated,
the Church will add 3+ new temples by the end of 2017, and have a booming year
for dedications (with a possibility of at least six more being completed)
during 2018. This would almost completely reduce and eliminate any semblance of
a backlog in temple progress, and makes it extraordinarily more likely that
many more temples could be announced within the next two years. The exact
number of those announcements remains to be seen, though I have given my
feelings on what I feel are the most likely and most imminent picks.
Future groundbreakings may be more unpredictable to anticipate
than I originally thought. I look at the groundbreaking in Winnipeg, and it
happened much faster than usual. However, in addition to Port-au-Prince, it is
possible we could see the Arequipa, Rio, Bangkok, and Urdaneta temple
groundbreakings scheduled during next year. If the problems in Rio and Arequipa
can be easily remedied, a groundbreaking for both temples could take place
within the first six months of 2017. As for Bangkok and Urdaneta, those could
happen by the end of 2017 or the beginning of 2018. But with there being one
year (for Bangkok) and over six years (for Urdaneta) since their announcements,
I don’t feel safe making any definite predictions about when those events might
take place.
One other thing I wanted to mention as far as future temple
announcements go. It was suggested on Matthew Martinich’s excellent LDS Church
Growth blog that there have been rumors that a temple is being planned in
Waynesboro Virginia. I will keep my eyes and ears peeled for news on that
point. I have always felt that if a temple was built in Virginia in the future,
the capital city of Richmond would be the most likely possibility. But there is
a strong case for a future temple in Waynesboro. So, as part of trying to
fine-tune my list of likely future temple announcements, I wanted to get a
sense of your thoughts. Would Richmond or Waynesboro be more likely for a
temple? Which might be more imminent? Let the discussion begin!
Thanks, as always, for taking time to read and (if you feel so
inclined) respond to this post. It is your feedback that allows me to fine-tune
my predictions. And I will always try to keep an eye on temple-related progress
and will do my best to report that news and any updates just as soon as I
become aware of them. Thanks again.
