On Tuesday, Tom Erkelens of Statewide Auction Co. will put the former Western Precision building up for bid after a court-appointed fiduciary was unable to attract a buyer for the property.
"Hopefully, we get four or five bidders on the day of the sale," Erkelens said. "We have had some interest but this isn't as easy as selling something in Salt Lake City or St. George."
That's because Hildale is home to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the insular polygamous sect led by Warren S. Jeffs.
Jeffs is incarcerated in the Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane, awaiting trial on being an accomplice to rape for conducting a marriage between a 19-year-old man and a 14-year-old girl who alleges she repeatedly objected to the union.
His followers in the twin towns, meanwhile, remain steadfastly loyal. They have, for the most part, quietly stood by as fiduciary Bruce R. Wisan dismantles the once-communal trust piece by piece.
Western Precision, a high-tech machining company that produces parts for bicycles to military aircraft, turned the building over to Wisan last summer to settle a dispute over ownership of the property.
Wisan maintained the land and building were assets of the United Effort Plan Trust, which holds virtually all property in Hildale and the adjoining town of Colorado City, Ariz. He has overseen the trust since May 2005.
The company disputed its inclusion in the trust's assets, but eventually walked away from the property after relocating to Las Vegas in August. The company now operates under the name "NewEra Manufacturing."
With that, the biggest employer in the community was gone.
Wisan courted several potential buyers but in the end was unsuccessful in sealing a deal. Now he hopes Erkelens can get it done.
"He's pretty motivated to get the building sold," said Erkelens, who pegs replacement value for the building alone at $5 million to $6 million.
Wisan needs money from the sale to pay fees owed to his firm and to his attorneys; what's left over will likely help cover ongoing costs of running the trust.
Some money may make its way into a settlement proposal being negotiated between the trust and two groups of plaintiffs that sued it: a young man who alleges Jeffs sexually abused him about two decades ago and six young men who claim the sect leader drove them out the community.
Settlement discussions include creation of an education fund to help teens who fled or were forced out of the sect.
Erkelens has posted information about the building at his company's Web site (www.goinggoinggone.bz). He has run newspaper ads, sent out 10,000 brochures and sent e-mails to prospective buyers.
That effort has attracted interest, including one offer, from several prospective bidders, among them a manufacturer of specialized truck beds, a sheet metal fabricator and a high-production cabinet shop.
The most unusual query has come from the owner of Las Vegas casino who is looking for a place to store vehicles in his car collection.
Bidders are required to post a $25,000 deposit, he said, and Wisan has retained the right to accept or reject offers.
This is not the first auction that has brought Erkelens to the polygamous community. Years ago, he helped one resident unload a bicycle manufacturing operation and another sell off some construction equipment.
But he may face a challenge with the Western Precision facility: It is a big, over-designed building that features custom concrete floors and parking areas; custom millwork; a commercial kitchen; dozens of offices and bathrooms; a workout area; a first-rate fire suppression system; radiant natural gas heat and a specialized cooling system.
"This building doesn't quit," he said.
One question: Could an employer attract a local labor force among the FLDS, given their general avoidance of outsiders?
"I think there are people in that town who would go to work," Erkelens said. "A lot of them travel to St. George, Hurricane or Mesquite to work. I bet if somebody were to open a plant there and offer decent wages, they would go to work for them."
An employer also could draw workers from the surrounding area - Hurricane, Kanab, Fredonia.
"Most of the people [in the twin towns] are pretty friendly," he said.
Erkelens is undaunted.
He has been up against the odds before. Several years ago, he sold off the Big Rock Candy Mountain - mountain, gift shop, restaurant and cabins included. He also successfully unloaded an Arabian horse farm that came with about 30 horses.
Another time, he auctioned a vanity press publishing house that had accumulated about 1 million books. When Erkelens got no takers at $10,000, he dropped the price to $5,000 and then $1,000.
At that point, he decided to work in reverse: How about a penny a book? Erkelens called out. How about two pennies?
"It turned out pretty good going by a penny," he said.
brooke@sltrib.com
"I think there are people in that town who would go to work. A lot of them travel to St. George, Hurricane or Mesquite to work. I bet if somebody were to open a plant there and offer decent wages, they would go to work for them."
TOM ERKELENS
Statewide Auction Co.
