Alan Connors, the Fargo Bar & Grill's manager for a little more than a month, has resigned to return to a job in manufacturing quality control.

"It wasn't working the way I thought it would," Connors said about his decision to leave. "I resigned to take another position."

Connors, of Aurora, declined to elaborate further about his departure or his future. Katie Waller, executive director of the Aurora Foundation, which manages the Fargo, said Connors is slated to start his new job Monday.

Connors' resignation comes during a difficult time for the local establishment, which has operated under limited weekend hours for the past few weeks, closing at midnight instead of 2 a.m. because of staff shortages and an incident of vandalism June 20.

Cayuga County Sheriff Rob Outhouse said the bar's bathroom and a chair were damaged. He said the Aurora Foundation reported the incident three days after it happened. The case was investigated and closed. Outhouse said there are no suspects.

Waller did not want to discuss the vandalism, but said there was not enough staff to work late hours. The Fargo will return to a 2 a.m. closing time Fridays and Saturdays beginning this weekend, she said.

A new manager has not been named, but Sue Eddinger, who is in charge of all of the commercial properties the Aurora Foundation manages, now has enough staff to cover the bar's regular schedule, Waller said.

"She's moved people around," Waller said. "I am not sure, at this point, what we will do. (Connors' resignation) just occurred. I've been away. We have to meet to discuss what we will do next."

Wells College owns the Main Street building that houses the Fargo. The Aurora Foundation, started by Wells alumna and philanthropist Pleasant Rowland, took over Fargo management June 1 after the college declined to renew former manager/business owner Jim Orman's lease.

One of the reasons Connors was chosen as the new manager was because he is from Aurora and the foundation hoped that would help ease the transition.

But many locals, who supported Orman, predicted the Fargo's character would change after the foundation became directly involved in the management. The foundation also runs the Aurora Inn, PizzAurora and several other businesses in the village.

"It did not take long for them to start changing the establishment that we were promised would see no changes," said Aurora resident Jay O'Hearn said.

"Last week, they announced that the Fargo would close at midnight, seven nights a week. That is no way for any self-respecting saloon to operate and it is unprecedented in the three decades I have been a faithful and grateful patron of the Fargo."

Waller said the foundation has been running the Fargo for only a month and it is too early to judge their operation.

"Many businesses have a rough time when they start up operation," she said.

Staff writer Louise Hoffman Broach can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or louise.hoffman@lee.net