MTC prepares to start construction for new nine-story building

At left, Nivea Wright helps missionaries check out of the MTC.

Ravell Call, Deseret News

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PROVO Provo will receive a towering new landmark when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints completes its planned new nine-story building on the Missionary Training Center campus.

Construction activities for the as-yet-unnamed building are scheduled to begin in late summer 2012, with completion anticipated in late 2014.

The decision to construct the new building was announced last August, when LDS officials indicated the Melvin J. Ballard building (known to tens of thousands of missionaries who have passed through the MTC as the home of the MTC bookstore, mailroom and the Training Resource Center) will be demolished to make room for the new building.

At that time, church spokesman Scott Trotter indicated that the Ballard Building was in need of significant upgrades, and that LDS leadership determined that razing the old building and constructing a new, larger, state-of-the-art facility was a better option.

It is only recently, however, that the church publicly indicated just how much larger the new building will be. At nine stories, it will be one of the tallest buildings in Provo, ranking behind the Spencer W. Kimball Tower on the BYU campus (12 stories) and the Nu Skin headquarters (10 stories) and equal to the Provo Marriott, which is also nine stories.

In order to talk about possible neighborhood impacts of the construction process for the new building, the church will hold a neighborhood meeting on Thursday, March 22, at 6 p.m. in the Rock Canyon Elementary School gymnasium (2405 N. 650 East in Provo attendees should enter in the west door from the lower parking lot off of 2230 North).

Church representatives will be on hand to answer questions and respond to neighborhood concerns.

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MTC prepares to start construction for new nine-story building