After two months of sorting through the remains of its 100-year-old meetinghouse, the Tongan United Methodist Church has decided to move on.
The meeting house, 870 W. 400 South, which burned June 5, will be demolished next week, and the home of the first Tongan United Methodist congregation in Utah will be laid to rest.
"Several members are holding onto the past through that building. We need to bury the memories, start fresh and have a new beginning. We need to sow new seeds of growth, of hope," the church's minister, the Rev. Havili Mone, said.
The Rev. Mone said the members of his congregation, as well as others in the community, had thought they could handle the demolition and removal of the old building on their own. But as they met with city officials, they realized the regulations involved in making the area safe and decided to hire professionals.
The church chose a contractor that offered the lowest price on the demolition, and they are in the final steps of the city's application process.
Boyd Harvey, Salt Lake City assistant director of building services, said the Rev. Mone and members of his congregation have worked closely with the city to make sure all regulations are met.
"We want the building demolished as soon as possible" in order to eliminate safety hazards for people who live in the area, especially children who may play in the burned remains, Harvey said.
The city requires buildings that are burned or damaged to be repaired or demolished soon after the destruction occurs, but Harvey said the time frame of the removal depends on the severity of the damage, and the time it takes for investigations that follow.
The Tongan church has taken two months because of the fire investigation and the church's negotiations with its insurance company. Some asbestos in the building also had to be removed before the demolition.
Harvey said now that the church has taken all the necessary steps, the city is just waiting for a completed application from the church's contractor.
Once the building is demolished and removed, the church officials will have 60 days to decide if they want to landscape the area or build again.
The Rev. Mone said it's been a hard decision. The church does want to build again, but probably not on the same plot of land because his congregation has grown too large for that space. The congregation is approximately 600 members.
He said the church is looking for four to eight acres in the area and would like to be contacted if anyone is willing to sell.
But the Rev. Mone is still unsure how much money they will receive from the insurance company, so he doesn't know if they will be able to afford a larger plot of land. He hopes for possible donations from the community, in land or money, which will add to the settlement they receive from the insurance company.
"If we don't receive enough money, then our arms will be tied, and we will probably have to build on the old land," the Rev. Mone said.
Meanwhile, worship services have been held in the church's Unuaki O Tonga building across the street, and in large tents provided by the insurance company and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Rev. Mone said when winter comes they will have to find other alternatives for meeting space.
He said he is grateful for all the help the church has been offered.,P>
E-mail: jcheney@desnews.com