Pike House days numbered at about 60

The former Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house is expected to be torn down by the end of January, said Gerard Billington, vice president of finance and administration and real estate officer for the University of Idaho.

Bids for the asbestos abatement and demolition of the building opened Dec. 2, with 10 companies responding, said Raymond Pankopf, director of architectural and engineering services at UI.

Pankopf said the apparent low bidder is Drollette Construction of Moscow, with a base bid of $131,000 plus $2,600 in alternate expenses.

The highest bid received, from Pacific Technologies of Boise, was $240,000 plus $6,500 in alternate expenses.

The university had estimated the project's cost at $140,000-$160,000.

"We are in the process of award, which includes verification of the bid, et cetera, to confirm that the bid is indeed responsive to the requirements," he said.

If the award is successful, Pankopf said work will begin in mid to late December.

The structure, commonly known as Pike House, has stood empty since 2007 when fraternity members voluntarily relinquished their charter due to low membership numbers.

After years of negotiations with the Pi Kappa Alpha national fraternity organization, the University of Idaho successfully purchased the house for $75,000 in September, Billington said.

The UI owned the lot on Nez Perce Drive where the house stands, and had leased it to the Pi Kappa Alpha national organization.

Billington said the long vacancy of the house has raised issues regarding its safety and livability and led to the decision to demolish the structure.

"It's deteriorated on the inside, as well as the exterior," he said.

Billington said the empty building has been prone to break-ins and vandalism. It has been vandalized several times and also has significant water damage.

"It's a nuisance, really," he said.

Once demolition is complete, the lot will be reseeded and left as green space until other opportunities materialize.

"Our hope is in the future some fraternity or sorority would be interested in the area and build a new residence for another 50 or 60 University of Idaho students," Billington said.

Shanon Quinn can be reached at (208) 883-4636, or by email to squinn@dnews.com.