Gloucester citizens have a unique opportunity to make a decision for our county—by voting on the bond referendum on our Nov. 7 ballot.

The referendum has three goals: 1) Make our community safer by doing building projects for our fire and rescue squads; 2) Improve our schools—by replacing HVACs where needed, renovating the 1973 wing of Botetourt Elementary for greater security, and updating the Gloucester High School athletic complex for greater safety, and additional uses; 3) Improve parks and recreation facilities by upgrading Woodville, Gloucester Point Beach, and Brown parks. Many projects would start in the spring.

These projects are what businesses ask us about when considering locating to Gloucester, and are what citizens ask for at our board meetings when talking about improving quality of life. These projects would keep all citizens safer, particularly children.

Our county has had these projects on our Capital Improvement Plan for years, but we have never had the mon...