West Valley City has entered into an agreement with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to lease three former meetinghouses. The buildings will become full-time community hubs as they have been officially decommissioned by the Salt Lake City-based faith.

Most well-known is the Lighthouse Church, at 3900 S. 4000 West, prominent for its distinct steeple. The two other church buildings are the Whitehall Ward house at 3200 W. Whitehill Drive and the Hillsdale Ward house at 2760 W. Lehi Drive. Councilmembers approved resolutions for the two-year lease agreements at the Oct. 28 meeting. The city will pay $2,000 per month for each building, then can decide if it wants to enter a full purchase agreement.

The community hubs will be host sites for classes such as sewing and other programs run by the nonprofit MyHometown. Classes will be offered for free. Each of the buildings has a gym, and the Lighthouse Church borders a field that the city’s Parks and Recreation Department can use for its programs. In addition to the monthly rents, the city would be responsible for maintenance costs. West Valley City also ponied up a $50,000 security fee for each building.

The Lighthouse Church will be retained in its entirety, including the steeple. Those will not be maintained at the other two sites, and church signage will be removed from all three locations.

The MyHometown Initiative was launched in West Valley City in 2020 as an effort to unite city residents, churches, businesses and other organizations. Its “Days of Service” are conducted on select weekends from April to October in four “regions” of the city, working on upgrade or beautification projects. Classes at the new community hubs began in early November and are now in operation. Visit www.myhometownut.com/utah/west-valley-city for more information.