George Pritchard, Business Development Manager for Utah-based Jacobsen Construction which will renovate the Laie Hawaii Temple starting early next year, explained some of the details of the project to several hundred residents during a November 1 community meeting at Laie Elementary School.

"Recently there's been a need to renovate the building. The last renovation was done in 1986," he said. "It's going to be totally renovated."

"On the inside of the temple everything will be gutted out and it will all be put back together, brand new. It will have new electrical and mechanical systems." He also said ramps will be added on the outside of the temple to make access for disabled and seniors easier.

Pritchard noted that budgets have been submitted to church authorities for final approvals, and he estimated work would tentatively begin January 5, 2009. Latter-day Saint Church authorities previously announced the Laie Temple would close for patrons on December 29.

"The temple will be shut down for approximately 18 months," continued Pritchard, who stressed this figure is also tentative and that "schedules change from time to time… It could be as short as 16 months, pending some of the things we're looking at doing. We'll be working with the Laie Community Association, probably on a monthly basis, to let you know what we're doing in your 'back yard.'"

Pritchard, a Samoan, added that Jacobsen Construction has previously built approximately 350 LDS meetinghouses and 27 temples, and several years ago acquired Bud Bailey construction company, which built a number of Latter-day Saint projects in Koolauloa.

"We definitely appreciate the opportunity to work in your community again," he said. "We also want to help this community. We know there are a lot of good contractors in this area. We've already used several of them on some of our existing projects here in the islands, and we want to continue to do that. We feel there's a great need to continue to use our local workers here, rather than bringing in a lot of workers from the mainland."

Pritchard indicated that former Laie resident Bruce Bean, who oversaw the 1986 renovation, will probably be the project supervisor.