Akron To Lose Only Police Officer

AKRON - Akron stands to lose its only police officer when Marshal Paul Rayl resigns next month.

With no deputies and one marshal, the Akron Town Council held a special meeting Tuesday to discuss Rayl's departure.

Announced during the discussion of the hiring of new deputies, Rayl told the council that he is considering leaving sometime in May.

Ed Haines resigned from the department Feb. 1 to take a position with the Rochester Police Department, and Tim Fleck resigned March 1 for personal reasons.

Council president Roger Gearhart told Rayl that the Akron community benefited by his serving as marshal.

"We have a better police department now than when you took over," Gearhart said.

The council discussed how to structure the police department, with council member Phil Allen suggesting keeping it as a marshal's office instead of restructuring it as a metropolitan police department.

The decision will be made at the April 21 council meeting.

In other business, the council discussed a request by Paul Studebaker to move a modular home into Saner Addition.

Several residents of the addition expressed concern that a modular home would cause property values to depreciate. A representative from Rochester Homes said that a modular home would not affect property values.

A set of covenants was given to town attorney Wayne Steel for further review. Gearhart said property owners will be notified about future discussion of the topic at council meetings.

Allen said the modular home issue is one of the problems the town faces with no zoning regulations.

Gearhart said the covenants were drawn up to prevent problems such as this, and if the covenants are violated the neighbors will have to hire an attorney to stop the action.