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BRIGHAM CITY -- Thousands of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered in Brigham City Saturday morning for the groundbreaking of a new temple there.
President Boyd K. Packer of the Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles returned to his hometown of Brigham City for the groundbreaking.
"I can see in my mind's eye a temple sitting here in about two years time," he said. "It will be gorgeous. It will be white."
Several months ago, President Packer traveled to Brigham City as the location was decided on by Church President Thomas S. Monson.
"I think it was an historic moment for the president of the Church to come here and say ‘This is where we are going to build a temple, this is the place,'" said Elder William R. Walker of the First Quorum of the Seventy.
I can see in my mind's eye a temple sitting here in about two years time. It will be gorgeous. It will be white.
–President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Robin Troxelf is one of about 7,000 people who crowded onto the temple site to take part in the groundbreaking service.
"I actually grew up three blocks away and my children went to Central School here before it was closed down," Troxelf said.
The Central School was a fixture in Brigham City, where thousands of schoolchildren attended classes over several decades.
"It's a miracle really that this site was still available," said Walker. "A totally vacant site in the most prominent part of the city, right across the street from the tabernacle. It could not have been a better location.
The tabernacle in Brigham City has stood as a landmark for more than 100 years, but soon it will stand in the shadow of this new temple.
"We couldn't be more pleased with the design," said President Ronald Frandsen of the Brigham City Box Elder Stake. "[It is] reminiscent of the pioneer temples of the past. This community is richly endowed with a pioneer heritage of its own, so that fits very well with us."
With its classic-style architecture, the temple is sure to become a new landmark in Box Elder County.
Construction on the new temple will start in the next few weeks. The temple is expected to be finished in the fall of 2012.
E-mail: spenrod@ksl.com
