JONES SENIOR TEAMS PLAYING IN NEW GYM
TRENTON — Jones Senior High School is enjoying a new gymnasium on campus, according to the New Bern Sun-Journal.
“It’s like going from a Volkswagen to a Cadillac,” veteran coach and Jones athletic director Debbie Philyaw said about the difference between the two gymnasiums.
“This is beautiful to me. As the athletic director, I’m so happy for the students at this school and for our community. We really have something to be proud of. As a basketball coach, I’m excited to get in here myself.”
The new gym was built because the old one was declared structurally unsound. The old gym, which was used for 55 years, had a seating capacity of 500 people. The new gym, located just beyond the tennis courts at the school, is 18,173 square feet and has a seating capacity of more than 1,140 people.
Volleyball was the first sport to be played in the new gym.
The gym, which cost $2.5 million, was built on a seven-acre tract, part of a 27-acre plot bought for high school and middle school expansion. The money comes mostly from bonds that were purchased by BB&T in mid-October after being authorized by the North Carolina Local Government Commission.
Along with the increased seating capacity, the gym also has home and visitor locker rooms, as well as locker rooms for boys and girls physical education classes. A weight room was built behind the locker rooms.
There is a countdown clock in the locker rooms, letting players and coaches know how much time they have before a game starts or resumes. A large concession stand sits outside the gym doors.
The gym was designed by SFL+A Architects of Raleigh and was built by W.G. Mills Construction Managers.
