Retiring after 25 years

"I am a Carbon County girl," Lezlee Musgrove, the town clerk/treasurer of Sinclair said. "I was born in Rawlins, but grew up in Sinclair. My father worked for the refinery when it was company town and my siblings and myself feel very blessed to have been raised in such a neat environment."

Musgrove who loves her hometown is getting ready to retire from her position at the town hall after 25 and a half years.

"I love this job," Musgrove said. "I am going to miss it very much."

Although Musgrove has lived elsewhere, mostly in Carbon County, Sinclair has been a special place in her life.

She said during her years growing up, Sinclair had the Lincoln Highway running thru town and there were many businesses. Musgrove remembers the bowling alley and Parco Hotel as exciting places to visit and said it was sad as the town contracted due the construction of Interstate 80.

"In the late 60's when they built the interstate around the town, that is when businesses started to disappear," Musgrove said. "The barber shop, the coffee shop, the hotel, all lost business because the highway didn't go thru town."

Musgrove had her elementary education in Sinclair and graduated high school from Rawlins since there was no high school in Sinclair.

"After graduation from Rawlins High School, I went to a business school in Denver," Musgrove said. "I wasn't gone for very long, because it wasn't what I expected. So I came back and started to work immediately."

Her first job was at an optometrist in Rawlins.

"I was an optician for years and then got married," Musgrove said. "The marriage didn't work out, so I moved to Saratoga for a while."

She got a job at the Saratoga Inn although during that era, it was seasonal work.

"I was the director of special events and the reservation clerk under Jim Maxwell, who was the manager then," Musgrove said. "Then while I was laid off from the Inn, I helped Eric Nelson with the Rustic Bar. They both were fun jobs."

Musgrove said she enjoyed the jobs, because she likes working and interacting with the public.

"In 1995, I moved back to Sinclair and this job was open and I got it," Musgrove said. "And after 25 years, I find myself getting to retire."

She makes clear those 25 years as clerk/treasurer have been excellent for her.

"It has been awesome," Musgrove said. "To be able to live and work in Sinclair, which I love, has been rewarding over all the years. To see the progress and beautification of the town and parks; the theater being restored; the town hall project which is going to start where we will restore it; well, this has made me feel really fortunate to be involved with the town over the years."

She said the time has gone by fast.

"You know what they say, if you love your job, it is like you never worked a day in your life and I believe it." Musgrove said. "I will always love this job, but it is time for retirement because I feel happy and am healthy and want to do some other things in life that I can't while working here."

Musgrave came to this conclusion about a year ago and realized that a transition would have to be implemented.

"Everything I have done over these past years cannot actually be trained. A lot of this job, you actually have to do it," Musgrove explained. "It is amazing how there is to this job and I am grateful to this town for allowing me to pursue the education to become a municipal clerk."

Currently she is training two new workers who she says are doing great work.

Retirement from town hall might be on her horizon, but Musgrove is still committed to working with Sinclair. She is on the Sinclair Museum board and looks forward to continuing her work there. With the advent of COVID, the museum has had to shut down to the public.

"I hope to volunteer some afternoons to work there once COVID is under control," Musgrove said. "But I am looking forward not to have to get up every morning for work."

Musgrove has worked for five different mayors.

She doesn't have a favorite mayor, but she does remember Art Denzler as the mayor who helped her get certified and got her salary to a professional level

"He was very professional," Musgrove said. "But I learned a lot of from each mayor."

She does highlight Denzler for being mayor when the water agreement between the town and Sinclair refinery has helped the town.

"It was a win-win situation for all involved," Musgrove said.

Currently, Musgrove sees the Sinclair renovation project as another positive for Sinclair.

"The theater renovation is another good thing for the town," Musgrove said. "We tried to get funding from several sources, but in the end, the town decided to renovate it."

Recently Rocky Mountain Power has contributed funds to the renovation of the theater which makes Musgrove grateful. She said Sinclair has also contributed to the town's needs over the years.

"Sinclair has been a big supporter of the town," Musgrove said.

She said going through COVID these past months will be something she remembers as effecting the town in a manner she won't forget.

"We don't have a senior center, so some years ago, we started senior coffee hour on Wednesday mornings," Musgrove said. "But since COVID, we had to do away with that. We had a quilting club that used to meet here that couldn't happen any longer at the town hall. The museum had to close entirely. It has really affected us."

She said the seniors do meet at the recreation center where they can spread out, and the quilting club meets at the elementary school the town owns. Carbon School District No. 1 deeded the school to the town a year ago.

"I am glad they have a place to go now, but I miss these people that used to use the town hall as their social gathering place," Musgrove said. "It is a change I won't forget."

Although COVID has changed the world as she is getting ready to retire, Musgrove is happy to be retiring in her hometown.

"I am so happy with my past years with my life and job here in Sinclair. I am pleased to be able to retire in this place that I love," Musgrove concluded. "I really feel blessed to live in this town, especially since Su Casa, the best Mexican restaurant in the world is located here. If people in Carbon County don't know that, all the more reason for them to come to Sinclair and visit our great little town and see why I love it here so much."

Musgrove's last day is November 13.