Gloucester voters are being asked this year to vote in a bond referendum on the future condition of many of the county’s landmark services and amenities.

For a shade under $40 million, Gloucester County believes it can accomplish these projects, mostly before the end of the decade:

Construction of a new Station One on Gloucester’s Main Street ($12.1 million);

Construction of more bunkroom space and conversion of space at Abingdon Fire and Rescue Station 3 ($1.1 million);

Renovation of the Gloucester High sports complex, including fields, courts, field house, lighting, and bleachers ($9.46 million);

Renovating the 1973 wing at Botetourt Elementary School ($4.445 million);

Replacement of heating and air conditioning systems in county schools, ($2.369 million in the bond toward $4 million total);

Renovation of Gloucester Point Beach, addressing erosion, the boat landing, parking, restrooms improvements, $2.75 million;

Construction of a lodge and water and sewer infrastructure at Woodville Park ($4.58 million);

Building pickleball courts and bathroom at Brown Park ($1.32 million).

This package deal will be presented to Gloucester voters in a yes-or-no, all-or-nothing referendum in the Nov. 7 General Election. Funding for the projects will be available to the county periodically through the debt’s life cycle.

With this vote, the county can put its vital services and popular recreational areas on a good footing for years to come. If the vote goes against the bonds, and public opinion seems split, the county will have to scrape here and there over an extended period to get these improvements made, possibly saving money in the short term and spending more over time.

The bonds would be funded by a 2-cent tax increase, county officials say. The county said the average home in Gloucester is valued at $318,500, meaning an increase in annual taxes of less than $70.

If the people of Gloucester vote yes for the referendum, the Gloucester Board of Supervisors will have control over the projects and can press pause on them and the borrowing and lower the tax rate if need be. If Gloucester’s economy were to hit a rough patch, the board could stop the borrowing and minimize the impact to the county.

Voting has already started in Gloucester. The county will learn the fate of these improvements, which we support, as the polls close on Nov. 7.