![[FILE] The Heber Valley night sky and whether stars are visible in it have attracted much attention since the LDS Church announced plans for a Heber Valley temple — possibly with bright lights shing upon it.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4bbc80b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5616x3744+0+0/resize/840x560!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcd%2F7b%2F6b69f8244e3cbaf7be3fdbd0d9ca%2Fadobestock-101203484.jpeg)
The statement comes in response to a letter church leaders shared with local members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in late September.
That LDS church letter offered responses to seven common concerns about the proposed temple; the new letter from the citizens’ group rebuts the church’s arguments point by point.
The group states it is concerned about the proposed temple’s impact on water and dark skies, as well as its size and the traffic it may generate.
The church has said the building will be appropriately sized for the number of members and the design has elements similar to other buildings in the valley.
The Dark Skies letter says recent changes to the lighting ordinances “began as a document written by the LDS [church] that had one goal: allowing the temple to be lit in a way no existing structure in Wasatch County could be lit.”
In response to county leaders’ comments that the code adopted in April is among the most progressive in the country, the group says, “It is a mistake and misrepresentation to assume ‘progressive’ means best.”
The letter also voices concerns about transparency in the process between the LDS church and local government officials:
“Officials in the county and city have shared publicly he/she may lose a ‘temple recommend’ for appearing to speak out against any aspect of the temple…. [I]t is clear that the county and city leadership have no choice but to support all aspects of the proposed temple if they want to earn or keep their ‘temple recommend.’”
An LDS church representative, citing the previous letter, reiterated elected officials “are free to make any recommendation or decision that falls under their civic responsibilities as county officials.”
The statement concludes with a litany of questions asking why the project is being handled the way it is.
“The residents, visitors, and tithing members of the LDS faith in Wasatch County deserve honesty, transparency, and cooperation,” it says. “The ‘Letter to Residents’ was anything but that.”
The approval process for the temple and access to records matches that of other development projects in the county. County manager Dustin Grabau has said the church is being treated like any other applicant.
When KPCW reached out to church representatives for comment on the citizens’ letter, they said they did not wish to add anything beyond their original statement.
Save Wasatch Back Dark Skies did not immediately respond to requests for clarification of some of their letter’s arguments.
Below is the full list of concerns in the letter from Save Wasatch Back Dark Skies.
Read the full letter from LDS church leaders below.
Wasatch County residents can next weigh in on the Heber Valley temple at a public hearing hosted by the county planning commission Oct. 25. It will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Heber City senior center.
