By Staff
When Buchanan's girls basketball team plays in its home opener Tuesday, it will have a new gym to go along with the new season. Well, nearly new.
The Bucks wil play their first game in the school's newly remodeled gym when they welcome River Valley on Tuesday night. The junior varsity game is set to begin at 6 p.m., with the varsity to play immediatley following the first game.
Extensive remodeling work began on May 3 and just recently finished. The school district is proud of the work done in the gym, Buchanan superintendent David Casey said in a press release.
Casey and the rest of the school district are inviting the community to come see the results of the construction, as well as the girls' basketball team, on Tuesday. No admission will be charged at the Bucks' home opener as a way to encourage more people to attend, and as a way to say thanks to the community for supporting the remodeling project.
Over the past several months, the old gym floor and bleachers were removed. The interior of the gym was then repainted and a new floor was installed.
All new bleachers, backboards, scoreboards and sound systems were installed also. The project was the first major overhaul of the Buchanan gym since it was built in 1953.
The school district is also building a new auxiliary gym complex. This project is about 90 percent complete, a Buchanan press release reported, and should be available for use by the school and community after the first of October.
The new secondary gym will feature a multi-purpose gymnasium with a three-lane running track. The gym will seat approximately 500 spectators.
There will also be a new fitness room equipped with the latest cardiovascular and weight equipment. New locker rooms are also part of the complex.
The auxiliary gym will be helpful if the MHSAA is forced by the courts to switch the girls' basketball season to the winter. With the extra set of basketball courts, the boys' and girls' teams will be able to practice at the same time.