Well, the DeKalb County Board has control of the ping pong ball called the county farm again. The farm has been bouncing around as the prospective site for a mall since last January.

DeKalb Mayor Greg Sparrow told the board last Monday that developers interested in buying the land said no mall developer would build a mall on the property.

Even so, Sparrow said, “It’s only a matter of time before it (building the mall) happens.”

Well without a party interested in the land for a mall, not to mention any other buyers, how long will it take? Certainly charging $187,000, 10 percent of the cost for the 75-acre land, up front for the property won’t speed up the process.

If the county would lower this charge in some degree, couldn’t it make up the cost with a mall that would increase jobs and business for the county.

The county needs to be a little less greedy, but also a little more unified. Because some board members are unsure on the mall idea, some developers were worried that the board would turn down their mall projects once they bought the land.

The board members who still feel unsure on the issue should consider the stronger economic base for the county, not to mention the number of jobs to come from the mall.

For board members who fear too much expansion and like a calm, quaint, country atmosphere, growth is a part of reality that cannot be ignored.