As Idaho mulls what to do with the Simplot house, the state's official - but unoccupied - governor's residence in Boise, Lewiston Tribune reporter Bill Spence had an interesting look today at the house and the issue. "There's hardly a piece of real estate that showcases Idaho better," Lt. Gov. Brad Little told Spence. "It overlooks Boise, the foothills, horse pastures, farmland. But we have to address the maintenance costs. It's probably the highest (water) consumptive real estate in the state. If Jack were alive today, he'd say 'Make 'er pay, boys.' He was never reluctant to adapt to change." Click below to read Spence's full report from today's Tribune.

Future uncertain for Simplot house
Governor's Housing Committee is considering sale of property because of high maintenance costs

By WILLIAM L. SPENCE
The Lewiston Tribune

Boise - The elevator is the only thing that makes you think a billionaire might have built the place.

Not many two-story homes have one of those.

But the rest of it - the large dining room, his-and-her double garages, the sweeping "great room" for entertaining visitors - none of that would be out of place in a typical executive residence. Actually, with just two bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms, it may be the smallest 7,370 square-foot trophy home you'll ever see.

Not until you step outside and see the immaculately groomed grounds and the million-dollar view do you understand what J.R. (Jack) Simplot really valued: the land itself, and what you made of it.

"Every time I'd see Jack, he'd ask me about the property I own," said state Sen. Denton Darrington, who has lived all his life in Simplot's hometown of Declo. "'Always get ahold of as much as you can,' he'd say. 'They're not making any more of it.'"

Late in life, before his death in 2008 at age 99, Simplot would say he owned more deeded land than anyone else in America.

That was the fruit of a storied career that began in 1923, when he dropped out of school at 14 and left the family farm following an argument with his father. He moved into the Declo Hotel - a building he later purchased - and spent the winter shooting wild horses, boiling the meat, mixing it with potatoes and feeding it to his hogs.

He sold the hogs the next year for $7,800. That got him started. Over the years, Simplot parlayed that into an agricultural empire. By World War II, he was the largest potato supplier in the nation. His company later pioneered the frozen French fry. At one point, more than a third of all fries in the world came from his plants, including more than half those sold at McDonald's.

He expanded into fertilizer and mining as well, and provided start-up capital for Micron Technology. When he died, he was worth almost $4 billion.

"He was a gambler," Darrington said. "He told me some of his bets didn't pay off, but a lot did. He was willing to take a chance. By the time I was growing up in the '50s, he was somewhat revered in Declo - the local boy made good. He wasn't the only one who made good, but no one made better."

It wasn't until 1980 that Simplot built his hilltop home on the outskirts of Boise.

"That used to be his horse pasture," said Lt. Gov. Brad Little, who knew Simplot for 40 years. "He'd go riding through the foothills every morning at 4 or 5 a.m. and wake up my sheepherders."

The home sits at the end of a short ridge, surrounded by 70 acres of perfectly manicured lawn.

"During the summer, they literally never stop mowing," said Teresa Luna with the Idaho Department of Administration. "They can't use power mowers because of the steep grade, so they use weed trimmers. By the time they finish the whole grounds, they have to start all over again."

Simplot donated the $2.1 million house and uppermost 37 acres to the state in 2005, with the idea that it be used as the governor's residence. The Simplot family still owns the remaining acreage. They split the cost of maintaining the house and property; the state's share is about $100,000 per year.

Gov. C.L. (Butch) Otter, Simplot's former son-in-law, has his own ranch outside of Boise and doesn't want to move. That, combined with the financial drain, cloud the future of the property.

"We have to recognize the generosity of the Simplot family in making the donation, but we also have to look at the practical side," said Senate President Pro Tem Robert Geddes, R-Soda Springs, who chairs the Governor's Housing Committee.

"It's basically a two-bedroom home with a lot of entertainment space," Geddes said. "It costs a lot of money to maintain, and there's almost no room for parking. If and when we have a governor who's willing to live there, does it really meet our needs?"

The home was fully renovated in 2008-'09, using donated funds. Now, the housing committee must decide what to do with the property. Committee member Rep. Phylis King, D-Boise, wondered if it could be rented out as an event location. That, combined with making it available to visiting dignitaries, might justify the cost, she said. If not, the place should be sold.

Renting the home for commercial events, however, isn't what the Simplots had in mind. In an email message Friday, a family spokesman said the house "was given to the state with the understanding that it would be used as the governor's house. It's a special piece of property that the family intended to be used for a special purpose - and being utilized as the official (governor's) residence would fulfill that intent."

Little, who may someday serve as governor, said the property does a great job of highlighting the state.

"There's hardly a piece of real estate that showcases Idaho better," he said. "It overlooks Boise, the foothills, horse pastures, farmland. But we have to address the maintenance costs. It's probably the highest (water) consumptive real estate in the state. If Jack were alive today, he'd say 'Make 'er pay, boys.' He was never reluctant to adapt to change."