West Point has tapped a LaGrange woman to lead its Downtown Development Authority.

Cathy Schirra, a former real estate broker and travel agent, took over the job this summer.

“The town has been super generous,” said Schirra, who still is getting settled downtown.

Schirra admits she’s still learning the job, getting to know downtown merchants and “establishing her own groove” in the part-time job, but she’s already taken the lead in planning the city’s next big event, a “Back to School Bash” downtown for local high schools on Aug. 15. She has bigger plans as well, to create a contact directory for merchants and work with city officials to keep downtown cleaned up.

“I want to be an advocate for the merchants,” she said.

Schirra’s job, as well as that of visitors center director Malinda Powers, was created this year when city officials decided to split duties of former downtown development director Phyllis Bishop. Bishop left in May after the DDA director’s job and visitors center director’s job were split into two part-time positions.

“We couldn’t have the visitors center under the DDA,” said Mayor Drew Ferguson IV.

The structure of a part-time downtown development authority director will, however, mean more work for the city’s volunteers, Ferguson said.

“The committees that make up the DDA should be the workforce,” he said.

Schirra is ready to put those volunteers to work. She’d worked as a flight attendant for years, then for a real estate firm in downtown LaGrange.

“I was right on the square,” she said. “I got to experience a downtown that flourished.”

Schirra hasn’t worked for a few years, taking time out to be around for her only child, a daughter.

“I missed meeting people,” she said. “I needed to find a job that was a perfect balance of time for work, family and myself, and this is it.”

Jennifer Shrader can be reached at jshrader@lagrangenews.com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 236.