For 11 years, Lena Boswell has been the executive director of the Andalusia Housing Authority, but as on Nov. 30, she will retire and “go to the house.”

“You just know when it’s time to go,” she said. “I’ve been busy working and it would be nice to just sit at the house, and I’ll probably get tired of it right quick.”

Boswell has been busy during her tenure at the housing authority, and also when serving as president and vice president for the Alabama Association of Housing and Redevelopment, but she said the opportunity was very rewarding.

“The greatest highlight would just be being able to help people,” Boswell said.

Boswell said she has had a long career working with the state of Alabama, including 18 years with the state career center and seven years as the secretary of Woodson High and Andalusia Middle School.

“I’m going to retire and I have more than 30 years with the state all together,” she said. “

She also served seven years in the U.S. Army, with three years being spent stationed in Germany. She is classified as a Vietnam War Era veteran.

Boswell said she will remain active in the community through the orga-nizations in which she is currently serves. She is president of the Andalusia Civitan Club, a volunteer for Covington Hospice, member of the Better Day Club and minister and Sunday school teacher at the Faith Deliverance Church of Lockhart.

There is a retirement party planned for Boswell on Saturday, and she said she is expecting a good amount of people to visit.

Boswell said she feels like a social worker at heart, and she told the board that’s why they needed someone business minded to replace her.

She said she believes Jean Freeney will be a good replacement.

“She’s still young, and she will be able to handle everyone coming in there,” Boswell said. “I started out that way, but I’ve gotten a little slack so that’s when I decided it was time to go to the house.”