Jewell School New Gym

Game On: The Jewell School Practice Facility

Tucked deep in Oregon’s coast range, Jewell is a tiny unincorporated community with a proud timber heritage. Around 300 students call the area home, attending the Jewell School for their K-12 education. With only one gym on campus to serve the entire student body, trying to schedule practice time for all elementary through high school teams was a significant challenge.  

  • Location: Jewell, OR

    Size: 8,000 SF

    Cost: $5.4M

    Completed: 2023

  • Client: Jewell School District

    Architect: Brittell Architecture

    GC: Cove Built

  • Design-Build

    Project Management

    Stakeholder Management

    Contract Negotiations

    Community Engagement

The district needed a new practice facility—but first, they needed a partner to help them make it happen.

Commitment and the Ideal Team

During the early stages of the search process, the Jewell School superintendent arranged a mandatory site walkthrough for prospective project management firms. Despite the weather conditions and snowfall, Klosh Group was the only team that showed up. Our commitment to being there, regardless of the circumstances, along with our deep understanding of the area and its building challenges, played a significant role in demonstrating to the school district that we were the ideal partners for the job.

A community focused approach

The first step of the design-build process was deciding whether to keep the existing gym and build a secondary practice facility or build an entirely new gym and practice space. There was a lot of history in the original timber-framed gym, as many of Jewell’s residents had once played there.

Our team included community stakeholders in the decision-making process and collaborated closely with the school board to determine the best path forward. After considering all options, the board chose to preserve the historic gym as the primary game-day venue while constructing a new metal-framed facility for practice.

In support of keeping funds within the local area, Klosh Group thoroughly evaluated and selected a local contractor known for their excellent track record and extensive expertise with rural project sites.

Navigating Procurement Challenges with Innovative Solutions

Like many projects from the pandemic era, procurement posed a challenge. For the practice facility, a key electrical panel needed for the first phase of construction faced a several-month delay. To maintain project momentum, we collaborated with a local contractor to reconfigure the electrical systems in the new locker room and weight room areas and set up a temporary heating system for the gym. When the panel finally did arrive, we were able to do an evening swap-out with no disruption to student activities.

A winning solution

Jewell’s athletic teams now benefit from expanded practice space, a new weight room, and a renovated girls' locker room that meets Title IX standards. By recommending the right structure, materials, and team for the project, we were able to serve the District well and provide the community with a cause for celebration.