PROVO — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has released new details about its plans to expand the missionary training center (MTC) in Provo. Construction for the MTC campus extension will begin in summer 2015 and last for two years.
The plan includes more space outdoors for missionary use, 300 underground parking stalls and improved landscaping “to beautify the area and provide a neighborhood buffer,” according to the press release.
There will be four new six-story buildings, which will be used for additional classroom learning space, personal study and small-group activities, that meet the Provo’s zoning guidelines.
In August 2011, the Church announced a nine-story building to replace the Melvin J. Ballard Building, which is home to the bookstore at the MTC. However, the local neighborhood fought against the LDS Church saying that the building was too tall and would obstruct residents’ views of the mountains. The Church decided to pull its plans for the nine-story building in October 2012.
The newly announced Provo MTC expansion will add enough rooms for the Church to train between 3,000 to as many as 4,500 missionaries at a time. The new space will not be used as living quarters.
In order to expand the MTC, the Church announced in November 2013 they would tear down the BYU Laundry Building and the Auxiliary Maintenance Building, where the new buildings will be constructed. The BYU Laundry Building and the Auxiliary Maintenance Building are being moved to Wymount Terrace across the street.
Once the four buildings are complete, the MTC entrance will be torn down to install a new landscape drive to greet missionaries when they arrive.
Since the missionary age change in October 2012, which allowed men to serve at 18 and women to serve at 19, the Church has seen an influx of missionaries. There are now more than 85,000 missionaries serving worldwide. To accommodate these missionaries as they train them, the Church has been housing missionaries in parts of Wyview Park and Raintree Commons, both BYU housing complexes close to the MTC.
There are 15 missionary training centers in the world where missionaries go at the beginning of their missions to receive instruction on religion, language and how to teach. They also learn how to respect different cultures; the missionaries leave the MTC to serve in one of the 405 missions throughout the world.