Workers are putting the finishing touches on the THS gymnasium, which Turner Construction is renovating as part of a $25.3 million bond issue voters passed in November 2004 to build a new middle school and upgrade the high school and elementary school.

The gymnasium, though, won’t be quite ready for the start of school this week.

THS volleyball co-coach Brandon Parker said Thursday that he hoped the team would be in the renovated gym by the squad’s first home match, which will be Sept. 7.

Until then, Chieftain high school varsity, junior varsity and freshmen squads will be sharing the junior high gymnasium with the seventh- and eighth-grade teams.

“It’s just a lot of traffic on the court, with gym classes as well,” Parker said about the TJHS gymnasium. “Keeping it clean, that’s the toughest part. There’s a lot of foot traffic on them.”

Parker expects the teams will be sharing court time in the junior high for about three weeks.

During two-a-day practices, Parker said practice would likely run until 9:30 p.m. each day.

“And then when we get going, probably 8, 8:30,” Parker said.

Practices after school are divided into two sessions — freshmen in one session and junior varsity and varsity in another. Some weeks, the junior varsity and varsity would practice right after school, and the freshmen would follow, and vice versa.

If the gymnasium isn’t finished by the first home quadrangular, the Chieftains would either play at the junior high or travel to one of the other teams scheduled to play that night at Tonganoxie.

Basehor-Linwood, Bonner Springs and Baldwin are scheduled to play Tonganoxie in that home opener.