Another town is trying to calm tensions between residents over pickleball, a popular sport with a reputation for being too noisy.
Because many pickleball courts are outdoors or near private homes, residents often complain to elected officials about the noise.
Braintree, Massachusetts is one such community. And when the courts reopen in two weeks, interactions between pickleball players and residents are expected to pick up again.
Mike Megley isn't looking forward to his pickleball players coming back from winter break after what he experienced last year.
“My blood pressure went up. I heard the noise and I heard it. It's just frustrating,” he said.
He lives on Whynot Road, directly across from the eight courts the town renovated in the summer of 2022, attracting even more pickleball players who tend to make the most of the space.
“[From] 7 a.m., except 9 a.m. on Sundays, until the last rays of the sun shine,” he said.
Megley and her neighbors said they constantly hear the sound of paddles moving back and forth on the hollow ball from April until the end of November.
“If you live near where they're going to put it, say no… they don't belong in the neighborhood,” said Maggie Trudel, who lives at the end of Whynot Road.
It was also too much of a nuisance for residents of other cities and towns, including Wellesley, Falmouth, and Needham.
“You can definitely hear it,” admitted Braintree Mayor Erin Joyce.
Joyce lives about 500 feet from the court and participates in the sport.
“But we do understand that residents live nearby and have different experiences,” she said.
And after several complaints, the town allocated $22,000 for acoustic panels at the suggestion of the Braintree Pickleball Players, a group that formed a decade ago and has grown to nearly 600 members.
“Once we are aware of a situation, we try to deal with it proactively,” said Janice Barris, one of the original members.
Burris noted that Vibra Sciences was selected to install sound-attenuating panels covering one side of the 8-foot fence surrounding the pickleball courts.
“I don't think I'd want to live 60 feet from a pickleball court either,” admitted Janice Walsh, another former member. He takes great pleasure in playing sports.
“It makes me feel like I'm still young,” she said of the sport.
This group understands that to maintain their status quo, they must do what is necessary to keep their neighbors happy.
“We all want to live together in peace and we intend to do that. We're looking at quieter paddles and quieter balls,” Walsh said.
“We're not looking for complete peace and quiet, we're looking for noise in the park. There's baseball, there's football, there's basketball, but you play 13 hours a day. Not,” Megley pointed out. “I have two choices: always wear earplugs or sell my house. I don't want to move.”
SoundSeal, the company that manufactures the panels, told NBC 10 Boston that the barrier can reduce noise by 10 to 12 decibels, or about 50% of the noise perceived by humans.
If that doesn't work, Joyce said the town will reevaluate the situation. But for now, the courts and pickleball will remain.
