The startup script I eventually ended up using was created by combining parts of one of the scripts you posted here with the Gentoo KDE 3.5.10 startup script (and adding a few extra variable setters to fix the problems I ran into). It is extensively stripped and probably not suited for general use by other distros as-is, but I'll check the bug and see about posting a diff for any useful bits.
Please file any patches. :)
The thing is, I cannot get Portage, Gentoo's package manager, to build the packages that still use autotools. (CMake-based packages are okay.) I apparently need the configure.in and supporting files that are missing from the root level of the source tarballs for 3.5.13 so that Portage can regenerate the other configuration files.
I don't know what black magic Tim used to get autotools to work again, but I am able to build packages with autotools that have not yet been ported to cmake. That does not help you immediately, but lets you know that autotools does work.
Unfortunately, I suspect that Timothy Pearson is the only person who might be able to produce these files. I'm hesitant to file a bug about this because the problem is 1. with autotools and 2. probably limited to distros using ebuilds/Portage, of which there are only about three (Gentoo, Funtoo, and kinda-sorta Sabayon).
If you post or link to your build logs I'm sure the heavy hitters will help. I'm not a coder, just a packager and one of the people who monkey wrenches everything to find the breakage. :)
Darrell