In 2003 the decision was made to add an Angel Moroni Statue to the spire of the temple. This was accomplished by removing the upper 2 gilded sections of the spire, placing a new cap atop the topmost section, then placing the statue atop that. The fiberglass of the remaining spire was then painted white.
Early plans for the temple featured the statue atop the spire, however, the statue was not included. It is of interest to not that to that point, only metal statues had been used atop spires, requiring large bulky support structures within the spire.
This video also depicts the landscaping changes made in 2005.