I've heard from a few websites that construction on City Creek took 48 months. Regardless of how long it did take, I can tell myself that construction was remarkably fast. Because the project was fast-tracked lots of shortcuts were made, such as weak welds and 7-day cures on concrete.

Why did the church rush this? Unless the Quorum and First Presidency believes in the 2012 doomsday scenario, I can't think of a reason why they would sacrifice the structural integrity of the entire complex.

They're not saving money, either. Because of the rush, they had to re-do some parts of the complex (such as the roof of the convention center) and pour more money to fix it when it could have been done right the first time.

Even from a business perspective, this is very poor judgment.

It's one thing to ask why a church would build a mall, it's another to wonder why they went along with it and half-assed it. Anyone want to put in their perspective?

The only big-picture explanation that still makes sense is ...:

Money-laundering.

Agreed. I wish somebody with skills would follow the money.

I'd be willing to bet somehow a bunch of it ended up in a PAC.

I'm dreaming of a forensic accountant who can
make sense of the morg morass,
follow the money, and issue a timely report:
preferably in mid September/ October....

Ah, a girl can dream......

My sib refuses to believe the morg can't be held accountable. He was an accountant before retiring.

Apparently, some of the subsidiaries of the church have to file something called a '990' form with the IRS? Which are a matter of public record?

I am a (retired) electrical engineer and have worked in a bunch of different situations. Frequently when I have seen a project fast-tracked it was because the project was basically a bad idea, and those with financial, political, or ego investment wanted it to become an accomplished fact before somebody figured out it was not a good idea and pulled the plug.

Perhaps they thought they were at the bottom of a construction valley, and thought that prices for labor & materials would be going up.

If words had leaked about some of the details... they might have wanted to ShowCase it as a Done Deal, a 'fait accompli'.

guynoirprivateeye Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Perhaps they thought they were at the bottom of a
> construction valley, and thought that prices for
> labor & materials would be going up.
>
> If words had leaked about some of the details...
> they might have wanted to ShowCase it as a Done
> Deal, a 'fait accompli'.


I think that is part of it, and also there weren't many other large construction projects going on at the time.

Let's watch what happens when the Wasatch Fault lets go, as it does about every 1,300 years.

It's been about 1,300 years since the last time....

and bulldozers are hard to miss.

You jumped from "I heard from several web sites" to assuming weak welds and poor concrete work. Hell of a jump.

I saw pictures of the Jesus Mall last week for the first time...

Ancient Rome comes to mind, right away...

I'm with mtgrizzly.
#1, 48 months is not fast-track. Fast track is when a project is designed as it is being built. Footings & structure are erected while the details and other aspects of design are still in the process of being worked out.
#2, the church's construction department does not take shortcuts. Their design requirements exceed code and they have stringent specifications. They want their buildings to survive anything, including last-day catastrophes.
#3, just because a project is fast tracked doesn't equal shoddy workmanship. With enough money, quality and speed can both be obtained with multiple shifts and/or overtime. 7-day concrete cures are not unusual if one plans it and uses the right mix design. Field welding often requires special inspection. If a weld is considered faulty, an inspector will require it to be re-done.
#4-Look at the quality of their chosen materials. They are not going to half-ass the construction when they go to the expense of using the best materials.

There is plenty to criticize about the church building a mall, but the probability and likelihood of the church accepting shoddy workmanship is extremely low.

the place, I did catch a glimpse of it and notice their cute little trout stream is already full of ugly algae