Governor’s mansion fund drive to pick up

BOISE – Some rooms and gardens at the new governor’s mansion in the foothills of Idaho’s capital city will be named for the most generous supporters of the home’s renovation, say organizers of a campaign to raise the $3 million for the project.

So far, about $235,000 – up from $201,000 in October – has been collected to revamp what will be known as “The Idaho House.” The 1980s-era home was donated last December by billionaire J.R. Simplot.

State leaders, including Bill Glynn, president of Intermountain Gas Co., who’s heading up fund-raising with Washington Group International CEO Steve Hanks, hope to have financial commitments for significantly more than that by February. There is no minimum donation.

To bring in money, lawmakers say some of the rooms and landscape features will be named after generous donors.

These will be “individuals and businesses that have done business in Idaho or been in Idaho and basically want to leave something that would be a legacy for the state, leave something in perpetuity,” said Sen. Brad Little, R-Emmett, and a member of the five-person Governor’s Housing Committee, which has steered the effort to assume ownership of the house following Simplot’s gift.

No state general fund money is being used for the renovations.

Glynn and Hanks have assembled a network of 75 to 100 contacts across the state who will coordinate local fund-raising efforts.

“This kind of campaign lends itself to people making commitments over several months or a year,” said Glynn. “It’s highly likely there will be in-kind gifts.”

About 4,600 square feet are being added to the existing 7,400-square-foot Simplot home. When finished, it will have 12-foot ceilings, a “porte cochere”-style entrance large enough for a carriage or car to pass through, four to five guest bedrooms, garages, a game room, a grand hall with 12-foot ceilings and dining space for 150 people.

The house and property are valued at about $2.1 million.

Gov. Dirk Kempthorne has said he expects to be the first governor to occupy the place, though some involved say completion of work could be pushed back until after January 2007, when the next governor is due to be inaugurated.

According to a recently printed fund-raising brochure, construction will take up to 12 months.

“I kind of doubt that it’ll be ready by January 2007,” said Sen. Mike Burkett, D-Boise, also a member of the Governor’s Housing Committee. “That’s my conservative nature. The goal is to have it ready for the next governor to move in, but these things tend to slip.”

Idaho is one of just six states without a governor’s mansion, including California and Vermont. The state hasn’t had a governor’s mansion since the former residence was sold in 1990 after it had become rundown and past governors refused to live in it.