For decades now, Talladega’s Herman Terrell has been pushing for sewerage service in his neighborhood, a community just a stone’s throw from downtown.

Finally, the day has arrived when work will begin on the Coleman Circle sewer project, and officials plan to celebrate the occasion with a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday.

From there, officials will move on to another ceremony — cutting the ribbon on new playground equipment at Veterans Park, another project years in the making.

Both are signs that better days have arrived for Talladega, where officials are setting their sights on delayed projects and getting them done.

Lack of a cohesive plan with professionals to carry it out have long been a problem in Talladega, but signs of change are evident.

Improvements are being made, professionals are running day-to-day operations, and a balanced budget has been presented.

It’s a course many citizens had been hoping for throughout the years, and it looks as though that day has arrived.

There will be bumps and bruises along the way, that is for sure. But we hope that the mayor and council who have put the city on the right course through their decision to allow professional management of the city’s operation won’t give in to political pressure.

The ultimate goal is to move Talladega forward. The city is heading in that direction, and its leaders should not be diverted from that path.