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Posted: Nov 12, 2021 10:40 AMUpdated: Nov 12, 2021 1:09 PM

Stewart Family Aims to Revamp Jarrett Farms Resort

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Garrett Giles

Tri County Tech awards a bid for the Jarrett Farms Resort located off Highway 75 near Ramona.

Tri County Tech officially awarded the bid for the Jarrett Farms Resort to the Stewart family out of Houston on Friday morning. Dr. Tammie Strobel, Tri County Tech's Superintendent and CEO, says Jarrett Farms didn't meet the needs of Tri County Tech, but it will meet the needs of the new owners to live out their dreams in our local communities. She adds that saying "no" to keeping Jarrett Farms allows someone else to live out their dreams with their "yes."

Dr. Strobel says Tri County Tech's original intent for Jarrett Farms was to use the space for a leadership retreat. She says the world and corporate training changed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

People aren't attending retreat centers as much as they were prior to the pandemic. Dr. Strobel says corporate travel is down 50-percent. She says keeping Jarrett Farms was not going to be a viable option for them to be able to hold a leadership retreat there.

Dr. Strobel says Tri County Tech can still provide leadership training on their campus at 6101 Nowata Road in Bartlesville. She says having a separate location for the training would not have been fiscally responsible for Tri County Tech.

Dave and Amber Stewart, formerly of Bartlesville, say they are excited to bring their family to Bartlesville and bring Jarrett Farms back to life. The Stewart family is returning to Bartlesville 19-years later. Dave says he met and married Amber in Bartlesville. He says they actually spent the first night of their honeymoon at The Inn at Jarrett Farms, so coming back as the owners of the resort is special.

Dave and Amber's five children - Julia, Lydia, Sage Evelyn and Malachi - are excited to move to Bartlesville as well. Julia, the eldest, says they are excited to connect with other kids in the Bartlesville area while helping out at Jarrett Farms. Lydia, the second oldest, says she is excited to live closer to her grandparents. Julia is currently a high school freshman, and Lydia is enjoying the eighth grade.

The goal is to turn the units on site into a mini Airbnb-style resort. Dave says they do not expect to have a restaurant there, but they do plan on getting the pool up and running again. He says they want to use the property for fun and relaxation.

The Stewart's want to revitalize the swimming pool, the walking trails and fishing areas at Jarrett Farms. Dave says the first step is to make as many rental units available as possible. He says they will start holding outdoor events, and eventually indoor events, from there.

Amber says they would love to hold at least one event per month once they get things moving at Jarrett Farms. She says they want to put on community-driven, family-oriented events such as a pumpkin patch, a Christmas tree lighting, a daddy-daughter dance, a family camping trip, and much more. They would like to make the space available for weddings as well.

Amber hopes people from all over will come to Jarrett Farms to enjoy themselves. She says they want to inspire people to hang out together and be there for each other.

Dave says they will market to northeast Oklahoma and the surrounding region. He says they have family in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Illinois and Missouri, so they will do everything they can to spread the word about Jarrett Farms throughout the area.

Another vision for the resort is to hold business, marriage and parenting conferences with world class speakers on hand. Dave says they would love to host events that would attract people to fly-in to Tulsa and drive 25 minutes to Jarrett Farms. He says they are approximately 18 months away from getting there, but they expect there will be a pretty far draw from these events.

Before the Stewart family gets to that point in the process, they may look to hold an open house. Amber says they would love to show the space to Bartlesville, Ramona and the surrounding communities what the space currently looks like while talking about their vision. She says they would then have people out to see what the resort looks like once they finish their renovations.

At some point the space may be renamed the Jarrett Farms Retreat and Event Center, but the Stewart family plans to keep the Jarrett Farms Resort name for now.

With all the chaos in the world, the Stewart family has been praying and asking God to provide a place to help people get away from it all. Dave says they want to provide a peaceful feeling at Jarret Farms. He says they are excited for the future.

The Stewart family hopes to have the space slightly operational by late-March or early April. Dave says this opening time is tentative as they add and open units little by little. He says they are aiming to open the units sometime in the spring of 2022.

Photo courtesy: Tri County Tech


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