On May 17, 2009, just three months after the LDS Logandale Chapel was destroyed by fire, another LDS chapel, the Longfellow Park building in Cambridge, Massachusetts, caught fire during a Sunday morning church service. All the members of the large congregation were evacuated safely that day. But they all watched from the adjacent Longfellow Park lawn as the flames brought down the roof and completely gutted the building before firefighters brought them under control. Just like the Logandale chapel, however, the steeple was spared and was left standing after the fire.

But that wasn’t the only similarity between the Longfellow Park chapel and our local building. Like the Logandale structure, the Longfellow Park chapel had real historic significance to its community. Built in the 1950s it was the first LDS chapel constructed in the Boston area. Like the Logandale building, the design and manner of construction was unique, reflecting the heritage of its historic setting near Harvard Square. In addition, like the Logandale building, the chapel at Cambridge had tremendous sentimental value to members of the church who experienced important milestones there. This included people in the Boston area as well as thousands of LDS Church members all over the world who had frequented the building while attending college in Boston.

Church leaders have publically recognized the historic significance of each building and its value to the church in the respective areas. The flames were scarcely extinguished in each instance before church leaders were announcing that the buildings would be rebuilt, newer and better than ever.

Even so, in both cases, concerns from members have been murmured about the extensive process needed to get plans approved and regulations met in order to rebuild each chapel quickly. Especially in the case of the City of Cambridge. After all, this city, as well as the whole Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is notorious for an intense tie to history and an accompanying proclivity for mountains of red tape when faced with constructing anything less than 100 years old. This is particularly true for the neighborhood that was in question: a high-end historic district very near to Harvard Square.

Despite this prospect, church representatives in Massachusetts expressed willingness to do whatever was required to meet requirements and restore this beautiful structure as an asset to the neighborhood. Of course, church leaders in Logandale expressed the same as well. In return, government officials in both areas pledged to move the process forward and expedite matters to hasten each building’s completion.

Unfortunately, this is the point where all similarity between Longfellow Park and Logandale ends.

Work crews began construction on the Longfellow Park chapel only two months after the fire. Yes you read that right: MONTHS not years. The shell of the old building was found still structurally sound so it was retained. But the inside of the building was completely re-constructed, expanded and updated. In February of this year, LDS members in Cambridge celebrated as a newly restored steeple was placed atop the building. On June 19, 2011, reportedly many weeks ahead of schedule, the restored Longfellow Park Chapel was dedicated. It has been in use by church members there for nearly three months now.

Meanwhile, the residents of Moapa Valley are still looking at an empty patch of dirt where a beautiful structure ought to be.

This story merely offers an interesting parallel for local folks to consider. In almost every respect these two situations are similar. But the stark difference is clear. In Cambridge it took but two months to get through the all ordinances and regulations to rebuild a chapel that had previously occupied the same spot. In Logandale it has taken well over two years…and counting.

Is it possible that a small rural town in Nevada can be bound by more government red tape and regulation than the tradition-steeped, stodgy, historic Harvard Square neighborhood of Cambridge, in none other than the state of Massachusetts? Apparently so.

LDS Logandale Stake leaders have recently reported that permits on the Logandale Chapel were recently issued at last. However, they have come just at a moment when a key property acquisition opportunity has presented itself to the church. This opportunity has offered a chance at making significant improvements to the site plan; improvements that had been desired all along. Leaders have, thus decided to review and revise the plans and start the approval process over. They are wise to do so as the revised plans will offer and added benefit to the community in the long run. But one can only hope that it won’t be another two and a half years before the construction begins. We like the Cambridge, Massachusetts two month plan.