A major stumbling block now stands in the town of Tyrone's way to have a major office park built in the city limits.

Town Manager Barry Amos confirmed Thursday that efforts to purchase the Sandy Creek wastewater treatment plant have come to a permanent halt after a letter he received from Superintendent of Education Dr. Dave Brotherton.

In the letter, Brotherton indicated board officials were no longer interested in selling the system to Tyrone. The short letter has left Amos pondering what the town's next step will be.

"We're still trying to work something out," he said.

Amos doesn't understand the board's actions, especially since the appraisal on the system hasn't been completed. The school board's actions now mean the appraisal can't be completed unless the school board has a change of heart, he said.

The move could be devastating in the town's efforts in having developer Richard Bowers build a 800,000 sq.ft Class A office complex on the town's northern border on Ga. Highway 74.

"He has to have sewer to build that facility," Amos said.

If the school board stands form on its decision not to sell the facility, Amos said the town would have to explore all other options, including building its own wastewater treatment facility. The town recently completed a sewer study assessing the town's needs.

Cost estimates for various proposals ranged from $2 million-$5 million to connect the Bowers project and John Wieland Planned Urban Development with the school system's facility to $19 million to connect the entire town to a sewerage system.