Hildale building tied to FLDS on auction block
 
By Ben Winslow
Deseret Morning News
 
At high noon on Tuesday, one of the crown jewels in the Fundamentalist LDS Church's financial empire will go on the auction block.

The Western Precision building in the polygamous enclave of Hildale will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

"We absolutely need to have money," said Bruce Wisan, the court-appointed special fiduciary of the United Effort Plan Trust.

The building came into possession by the fiduciary after a series of legal maneuvers and a move by the manufacturing company. Wisan sued the company in 2005, claiming Western Precision got the UEP land for only a fraction of its true value. A year later, both sides settled.

Western Precision, which has been linked to the FLDS Church, moved to Las Vegas and renamed itself "Newera Manufacturing." Many FLDS members who worked for the company followed, leaving the border towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz.

The facility is complete, with nothing unfinished, and even several extras.

"There's two one-bedroom apartments," said Tom Erkelens of Statewide Auction Company, which is handling the auction. "There's some beautiful offices. There's an 1,800-square-foot meeting room with beautiful lighting. There's two great big, giant executive offices. These offices have their own bathrooms."

"I counted 15 bathrooms," he said. "I went back another time and there's more like 17."

Describing the facility, Erkelens said there was a commercial-grade kitchen, labs and even an exercise room.

Inside the shop area, there are 18-foot ceilings and concrete floors with no cracks.

"All the ceilings and walls are finished off. It's not exposed," he said.

Erkelens said it takes his breath away. He said estimates of the value of the building are more than $6 million.

"I'll tell you, they put so much into this you can't believe," he said. "It's incredible, right out there in the middle of Hildale."

The location is probably the biggest drawback in the cloistered polygamous community, which has been the subject of scorn and scrutiny. FLDS leader Warren Jeffs remains jailed, facing a trial in St. George's 5th District Court on charges of rape as an accomplice. He is accused of performing a child-bride marriage.

Jeffs was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list until his arrest last year outside Las Vegas. One of the people stopped with him said they were traveling back to Hildale.

"I think the location diminishes the value," Wisan said. "We'll just have to see."

Erkelens said Hildale's proximity to St. George and Hurricane makes it a good choice for a business. So far, a few people have expressed interest.

"It's hard to scare up a lot of interest because people are a little leery about opening up a business out in Hildale," he said. "They don't know how they'll be accepted by the community. I've certainly not experienced any hostilities."

Auctioneers said they are hoping for about a half-dozen seriously interested bidders. So far, only one has put down the $25,000 necessary to participate in the auction. The UEP Trust needs to raise cash because it hasn't been able to pay the fiduciary or his lawyers. The trust is land rich, owning most of the land in the border towns.

"I suppose we could survive if we had two really serious bidders," Erkelens said. "If you only get one, you're in trouble."

E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com
 
deseretnews.com
Originally published Saturday, February 24, 2007
 
Back