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CEDAR CITY — With the ceremonial turning of the shovel, construction is officially underway on what will become The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' 17th temple in Utah.
It has been more than two years since LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson announced a temple would be built in Cedar City. On Saturday, a ceremonial groundbreaking was held at 300 S. Cove Drive, the site of the future temple.
"They will begin digging right away and prepare the foundation, and we hope to be back in a couple of years to do the dedication," said Elder Kent F. Richards, executive director of the church's temple department.
Longtime residents of the area say Latter-day Saints have been waiting anxiously for the groundbreaking ever since the temple was announced.
"There is a great deal of excitement, and they are anticipating to be able to get to the temple — and a little closer than it has been," said John Yardley, a resident of the nearby town of Panguitch.
"I think you will see a great outpouring of support for this new temple," Yardley said.
Jerry and Carol Pollock live in Tropic, which is a 90-minute drive from Cedar City. They've been traveling 2 hours each way to perform service in the St. George Temple, which is currently the closest temple to their home.
"I am hoping that we will be able to be workers (at the Cedar City temple), like we have been in St. George," Carol Pollock said Saturday.
Church leaders say the new temple will also honor the Mormon pioneers who settled this region under difficult conditions.
"We can tell from the spirit and enthusiasm from all the people here how wonderful it is for them. (We feel) their excitement and their pioneer heritage that they feel helped prepare them for this day," Elder Richards said.
"(This temple) will be a beacon to the community, visible from the freeway and situated in a lovely neighborhood. Everything about it will be an ideal place for a new temple," said Elder L. Whitney Clayton, a member of the LDS Church's Presidency of the Seventy.
The Cedar City Temple is scheduled for completion in late 2017. As is customary, an open house will be held for the public to tour the temple's interior prior to the building's dedication.
