Last week, after a two-year struggle, the governing bodies of the city of Covington, Newton County and Main Street Covington signed an intergovernmental agreement that clarifies the role of Main Street and how the three entities will interact.

We are glad to see these three groups finally come to a resolution, because, as we've said many times before in this space, we believe Main Street to be a vital cog in our local machinery for economic growth.

Covington Mayor Ronnie Johnston strongly affirmed that sentiment and also praised the efforts of Main Street Director Josephine Kelly at the Thursday meeting of the organization.

The agreement clearly designates the director of the Main Street program as a full-time city employee, while at the same time recognizing that the Main Street Board of Director has full discretion in running the organization.

Mayor Johnston and county Chairman Kathy Morgan said the agreement was a step in the right direction of preserving and revitalizing downtown Covington, while Main Street's board chairman Dan Walden expressed his satisfaction with the arrangement.

We are particularly pleased that this agreement assures the program will not get caught up in the political and personal rhetoric that has characterized the past two years of discussion but will instead be allowed to move forward.