FILE PHOTO

Superintendent Theresa Davidson listens to the concerns of parents at William Allen White Elementary . A reception is being held for Davidson at 6 p . m . Wednesday at Mary Herbert Education Center .

By John Robinson john @ emporia . com

A career which started more than a decade ago is coming to a close .

Theresa Davidson is set to retire as superintendent of Emporia Public Schools on June 30 .

Davidson ’ s tenure started in 2001 , when she served as assistant superintendent of business until 2004 . She left Emporia to become principal of Olathe North High School . Davidson returned to Emporia in 2006 and was named associate superintendent of personnel before becoming superintendent in 2011 .

Davidson sat down with The Emporia Gazette for a Q & A on Monday , looking back on her career , what she is proud of and what she wishes she could change .

When you think about your career at Emporia Public

Schools , what comes to mind ? In some respects it ’ s difficult to separate my time as superintendent with the other years I spent here . Obviously , the first experience I had here was when we were pleading the bond issue and overseeing the building of two elementary schools and the high school . That stands out ; it was the first time I ’ ve done something like that — a big project — and something I will always think about because it was a very good experience and a big learning curve for me .

What are some of those things you ’ ve learned during the course of your career . Having spent some time as a building principal and in the personnel office has made my time as superintendent a little bit easier because I already had a good understanding of the working pieces of the district . That was particularly helpful to me because — during my time as superintendent — we ’ ve been in constant flux with the financial situation , the legislature , and some of those things has made our work a little more difficult .

Please see Davidson , Page 3

By Cathryne Scharton cathryne @ emporia . com

Restorations to Emporia ’ s east water tank are well underway .

After finding the interior beams of the east water storage tank were in much worse shape than the west tank , the restoration process has been a bit more extensive for the second tank . But with the new beams in place , crews with Utility Service Group , out of Arkansas , have been busy at work sanding the interior of the tank .

The exterior of the tank was sanded using material similar to bird shot and the dust was immediately suctioned into a storage container . The excess dust was shipped offsite to be disposed of as required by federal law . Although the tested paint samples showed only trace amounts of lead , many precautions were taken with the disposal of the dust .

“ They pulled samples when they did the original inspections from the interior and the exterior . The interior portion that they could access and the lead levels of the material that they sampled are within the safety limits ,” Ryan Glassner , with Professional Engineering Consultants , said . “ They are not at harmful levels so they don ’ t require any special containment or disposal . Both of them contained some l e a d levels but neither of them were within a harmful limit ,”

Friday , crews worked to sand the interior of the tank .

Unlike the exterior , the inside was sanded using a gritty composite . According to Utility Service Group employee Naito Landaverde , the sand had to be used on the interior of the walls as a result of exposure to water over the years .

Landaverde has worked restoring water tanks for about 20 years . He is currently working with a crew of two other men from Texas . Together , the three will sand ,

CATHRYNE SCHARTON / GAZETTE

The west tank is complete . The east tank will be complete in the next month or so , weather permitting . Below , a grainy sand is used to blast the interior of the tank . The interior walls of the tank were rough due to constant exposure to water . prime and paint the entire tank .

“ We are blasting right now ,” Landaverde said . “ We start on the floor and work our way up . So all the sand will sink on the floor and then we will start going up the walls , up to the ceiling , blasting and cleaning up and then throw some primer on it . It ’ s pretty simple : soft shell , nothing on the

Please see Tank , Page 3

CATHRYNE SCHARTON / GAZETTE

Barb Rourk with the Emporia Lee Beran Recreation Center checks in participant Judy Jones .

By Cathryne Scharton cathryne @ emporia . com

April 3 the 15th annual Walk Kansas kicked off in Lyon County . This year ’ s colors are lime green and purple and Lyon County boasts a total of 93 teams participating in the event .

Some of this year ’ s activities include Gluten and Your Gut , Bodies in Motion , Poker Walks and Fat Bucks .

“ Walk Kansas was started to bring fitness to the forefront for

Please see Walk , Page 8

By Jessie Wagoner jessie @ emporia . com

Susan and Jason Brinkman opened the doors to Bourbon Cowboy , Emporia ’ s newest bar , in April . Bourbon Cowboy , located at 605 Commercial St ., has a welcoming feel that invites customers in for a good time .

“ We are the home of cheap beer , fine whiskey , live music and uncomplicated good times ,” Susan Brinkman said . “ The day is hard enough ; having a good time should be easy .”

Bourbon Cowboy staff make every effort to ensure that good times are had by all and that those good times do in fact come easy . From the moment a customer enters Bourbon Cowboy they are welcomed and catered to — including a cashless easy process from entry to exit .

“ It ’ s easy ,” Susan Brinkman said . “ We wanted to make it easy . You can open your tab at the door .

So if you are coming in , you can

VOL . 124 , NO . swipe in with a credit or debit card at the door and we can open the tab right there . You swipe in

at the door and by the time you walk over to the bar the bartenders know your name and you are ready to order . Having fun should not be difficult . People work very

JESSIE WAGONER / GAZETTE

Susan and Jason Brinkman opened the doors of Bourbon Cowboy , located at 605 Commercial St ., last week . Those at Bourbon Cowboy say “ your day is hard enough ; 5 o ’ clock should be easy .”

hard in this day and age for every dollar that they earn and we are thankful that they are choosing to spend a few of them here in our club so we want it to be the very best experience they can have .”

“ It is a cashless , comfortable experience ,” Jason Brinkman said . “ We are using cocktail servers , so if you come in and sit down you don ’ t have to come to the bar unless you want to . We have service for you .”

That service comes in the form of 22 dedicated employees that the Brinkman ’ s call “ amazing staff .” The staff is featured often on the Bourbon Cowboy website , Instagram and Facebook to encourage the public to meet them and learn more about the employees . Susan Brinkman , who is mother to one son , says she now feels like a mother to many as she beams with pride when talking about each staff member .

The staff also includes the Bourbon Ambassadors , a group of four costumed employees that serve as the face of Bourbon Cowboy at community events .

“ The Bourbon Ambassadors are some of our costumed employees ,” Susan Brinkman said .

Please see Business , Page 3