the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Village council on Wednesday introduced a new ordinance that would require pickleball players to use muted balls only, a move designed to minimize the distinct pop-pop-pop that has residents who live near the pickleball courts in an uproar .
The Village Council also agreed to pursue acoustic panels for the courts, which would help alleviate the noise. The 6-by-10 panels, if installed on three sides of the Glen School courts, could cost the village more than $20,000.
A handful of tennis courts were converted to permanent pickleball courts last year, some residents were furious. At one council meeting, residents complained of being unable to open their windows because of the pervasive sound.
Interesting because back in the heyday of what used to be known as the RTA or Ridgewood Tennis Association many home owners complained about noisy players at all hours on the courts .The recent complaints echo many of those old criticisms ,including rowdy 6:30 am matches.
Having lived in 5 Ridgewood Houses over a 50 year period, all with varying levels of communal activity and noise, I feel we need to remember that, good family communities depends on their residents to both follow the rules and equally important, to look past small annoyances for the greater good of the community. IF Glen pickleballers aren’t following the rules or if the rules need to be changed, then so be it. BUT if everyone in town who experiences minor annoyances around school and community activities, reacts like the Glen neighbors, Ridgewood will not be the family community it is today. I’m sure the families of the Glen neighbors have attended many local events and activities, that were more intrusive than the pop of a pickleball. Does Town Council now support building expensive sound barriers around every field in Ridgewood, where the noise level matches the sound of a pickleball?
Standard windscreens, sound muffling bushes, enforcement of prudent rules covering the time of play, max capacity, access & yelling should be enough. Is there such a thing as a muted ball? the only results I get when I search muted pickleball, are articles about Glen.
We have lived in the Village for over 50 years and are grateful for the sounds of living that surround us. There are the sounds of hourly church bells, organ music, skateboarders, Ice hockey players, soccer & lacrosse games, parents cheering, summer campers, Graydon Pool swimmers, lawnmowers, teenage rock band practices, dogs barking, birds chirping, planes overhead, emergency vehicles rushing past day and night all these sounds remind us how FORTUNATE we are to have ears that hear and a town that accommodates people and life. There will come a time when all is silent. Today let us celebrate that people wish to be active and enjoy the Sounds of Life, including the relatively new sound of pickleball.
keep the pickleball. are these the same complainers that don’t want to hear kids up at habernackle. 55 and over available at forked river exit 69