The renewal of Charlton Park millage request for 0.2254 mills, with 15,261 yes to 12,034 no votes, guarantees the park will stay open for the next seven years, Park Director Dan Patton said.

“That’s a good thing for people who love the park, and that’s a tremendous positive…it shows people have appreciation for what we’re doing.”

However, a second request for 0.2146 in additional millage was defeated, 14,705 no, to 12,526 yes. “That gives us some challenges,” he said. The maintenance needs and capital projects haven’t gone away, they still need to be done and the park board will discuss what the next steps might be, “to come up with a way to do that…we’ll get busy, probably right after the first of the year.”

Patton noted one of the park’s special programs “Of Christmas Past” is coming up shortly, the Halloween event, “All Hallows Eve,” was a hit.  "It was, I believe, the largest attendance for that since I’ve been here.”

Patton said while he was talking, Maple Valley School first grade students, some of the thousands of area school kids who visit the park every year, were there learning how their ancestors lived day to day. “We try to get the word out. There are a lot of positives here, we’re doing some good things here,” he said.