The new year is a time for reflection. 2015 was a great year for Oak Bluffs, among the best since secession in 1880. According to the census, as of January 2015 we’re a town of 4,810 people with 4,346 housing units, 2,357 of which are vacant. This punctuates the fact that 54 per cent of our taxpayers who don’t live here year round are often under represented when it comes to voting.

We have 429 homes in the Cottage City Historic District and 315 in the Camp Ground. Over 600 of these are deemed historically important by the state and all of the Camp Ground homes are in the National Historic Register. Most of these heirlooms are owned by non-voting taxpayers who look to the rest of us to protect these important assets of our heritage. Oak Bluffs has 452 well-maintained streets (although Pennacook could use some work) connecting our 42 neighborhoods and providing access to 55 parks, 17 ponds, seven cemeteries and seven beaches, two of which were visibly improved last year.

Taking stock of some other assets, Oak Bluffs hosts a modern library, a senior citizen center, places of worship, a golf course, the Flying Horses, an ice arena, a new YMCA, a skate park (in need of renovation), a private airport, a new bridge and our successful marina. Private parties — some with the assistance of financial contributors — in 2015 provided The Barn Bowl & Bistro, the Loft adult game room and lounge, the renovation of the Strand Theatre and a new playground at Niantic Park, closely followed by an expanded recreational area. Recently the town opened the new state-of-the-art fire and safety building. The acquisition of the Wesley Hotel may (fingers crossed) occasion the renovation of our last historic hotel.

2015 was a good year for Oak Bluffs. Almost half (46.1 per cent) of Oak Bluffs is developed, 24.1 per cent is protected and 24.1 per cent remains open for development — almost the opposite of the rest of Martha’s Vineyard. Of our scant 7.3 square miles of land, attention must be given to the 1,100 acres left unresolved in terms of use. Decisions need to be made for the future of Oak Bluffs. Our elected and volunteer officials are the line managers of our destiny and the more time and effort required of them to place fingers in dikes is less available for planning our collective future.

Requiring attention in 2016 is the condition of town hall, which more closely resembles a soon to be abandoned building than the stately place we would expect to conduct our affairs. The floor plan has no plan. It lacks the infrastructure to support basic business tools we otherwise take for granted. Rhetorically, who uses faxes anymore? Where’s the wireless ability to communicate? How much money is wasted by dedicated printers? Does the website, lacking contact information for email, have the network ability of even our interactive present? Are we comfortable with electronic storage of town data? Is the building cool when it’s hot out and warm when cold? Is it fair of taxpayers to expect underpaid workers to labor in so sorrowful a place while making decisions on our behalf?

Kids of all ages are invited to a Star Wars party at the Oak Bluffs Library on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon to participate in a Jedi training camp to make Star Wars crafts. May the force be with you. Next Friday evening, Jan. 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. a Super Smash Brothers Brawl with Wii and pizza for all ages will be held using the projection screen; it may even wind up as an impromptu tournament if folks are game for game. Note also that the Library Friends of Oak Bluffs are holding a book drive Saturday, Jan. 16, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Stop by with books in great condition to donate.

Over the holidays the Pachecos’ yard in the Cottage City Historic District at the corner of Narragansett and Naumkeag avenues had Christmas lights and decorations that portrayed a winter wonderland with a theme of polar bears, snowmen and reindeer.

The new year is a time for introspection. It’s hard to be proud to be from OB with a hand-me-down town hall.

Keep your foot on a rock.

Send Oak Bluffs news to sfinley@mvgazette.com.