the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Age Discrimination is Live and well in Ridgewood. Earlier today the Village announced that it was closing the Glen School Pickleball Courts and the Tennis Courts until March 22. However they will keep the tennis courts at Somerville open for Tennis only. The PB Courts are frequented by many people. However many seniors use the Courts. Its their only form of exercise during Covid. This was done by the village in an arbitrary and capricious manner without any public comment. The fact that other like venues remain open is discriminatory. The fact that lacrosse soccer baseball and tennis are allowed to remain open clearly is a contradiction. The Ridgewood Pickleball Association has 153 members The bulk are seniors. This unilateral action by the Mayor not the Recreation Dept. clearly indicates that she has no concern for the Seniors in her community. Please reach out to the Mayor and have her rescind this order
Who approved this closing?
Thank god! It’s so loud
They locked them before the holidays but left all the tennis courts open. Unfair to those who use the courts, the large majority of which are seniors. If they have other issues with the courts they need to resolve them without impacting the players in an unfair manner. They made a lot of money selling badges this year and those courts brought in most of that revenue, so closing them impacts a lot of people who they charged for badges. Also not fair.
Pickle ball is loud and disturbing to nearby homes. And this whole argument about discriminating against Seniors because it’s the only way they can get exercise is BS!! If you can play pickle ball you can walk 3/4’s of mile which is far better aerobically and for leg muscles.
Undemocratic
The village needs to care about the health of citizens during the time of Covid when indoor exercise can lead to contagion
Playing in the cold will invigorate all
Why build courts if you keep them closed ?
Not to be snarky but I am very disappointed and not comprehending the closure of Glen
Oh yes does it mean like Marie Antoinette “Let them play tennis- at Somerville”???
The Village did not follow Administrative Law procedure. They are supposed to notify the Public of a meeting. Have a meeting with Public Comment and then Vote. This was done unilaterally by the Mayor in an illegal manner. .
What else is new ,the village thinks they can do whatever they want. They’re up to the same practices again. Dirty dirty business. That’s why I have a lawyer on retainer. They really think with the residents are stupid.
Praise for Mayor Kneudsen! Do a google search on “pickleball” and you will learn that pickleball can create a human health risk! Please note that pickleball is now played for 10 hours a day/ 7 days a week, starting at 8 am until dark! A pickleball court so close to houses is discrimination against an entire neighborhood!!
What website did you find that states pickleball can create a health risk ?!!!!! That is ridiculous
Our heartfelt thanks to Mayor Knudsen. The neighbors of the Glen School playing area are grateful. We hope the pickleball players will find another form of exercise in which to participate in order to maintain their health during this difficult Covid-19 time. However, there are both public (free) and private pickleball courts in Bergen County which are located in non- residential areas, and which are available to Ridgewood residents. (Google it.) To answer some comments, I would say that the revenue brought in by pickleball each year is considerably less then the taxes paid by the Glen School neighbors each year. Perhaps you might agree that the taxpayers that live here deserve consideration. To the person who complained about the court closing being arbitrary and capricious, I would point out that the placement of the pickleball courts here was done in the same way… arbitrary, capricious, with no prior notice to the neighbors or neighborhood, during the prior administration. So, again, thank you Mayor Knudsen. I hope that by March 22, a way can be found to resolve this situation equitably for all concerned. And Happy New Year.
Just because you don’t know something doesn’t make it ridiculous. Did you try to check it out? If not, check out neurologylive.com Misophonia
Just because you are not aware of something does not make it ridiculous.if you want a website check out neurologylive.com Misophonia.
Here is the link to one of many web sites that describes the deleterious relationship between human health and pickleball:
https://www.yoursun.com/charlotte/news/pickleball-noise-creates-a-human-health-risk-study-says/article_be1bf836-6141-11e9-bc1d-5f801b203aee.html
Have a healthy, happy New Year!
Sent from my iPad
So… some whiney residents who got their houses on the cheap since they are next to a school (with its associated negatives: NOISE, traffic, etc.) complained enough to to a pliable mayor and got the courts shut down.
Got it.
Dear Pickleball Neighbor: If the grammar school, sports field, and tennis court area adjoining your property was created AFTER you bought your home, then I might sympathize with you.
If not, then Caveat Emptor applies…
Anon-Umus: the schoolyard makes no noise, the soccer field has limited hours and tends to not be very loud and the tennis courts were never an issue. Pickle ball seems to be an outlier.
Who knew pickleball was public enemy #1
In the heyday of tennis there was lots of trouble at the Glen School courts
Does the Mayor live near the Glen School?
I wonder why the pickle ball courts got more attention and quick action when the Habernickel neighbors who had a business out in their backyards and no one seems to care…with little to know revenue for ridgewood
Unfair
Didn’t the Glenn school neighborhood get $20,000 for bushes to be planted to help with the noise coming from the courts? Habernickle neighbors got a business added, parking lot lights (pickle ball courts have NO lights) double yellow line added to Hillcrest Rd I can continue but my point is we haven’t seen a dine to help with all that has disrupted our neighborhood!!!! We also have lost a lot of trees that added protection form the homes on Andover which have to look at school buses, headlights from cars & parking lot lights streaming into homes. No new trees were added only stumps remain. Why is that? The neighbors on Andover signed a petition to have the lights turned off but oddly enough that was never looked into. So Glenn school neighbors be happy you have the Mayor on your side to help because we have gotten no support!!!!
I live by the park with the business in it and there is such a difference in noise since covid. The backing up of buses constantly during the day is nerve racking on top of field trips and parties. As much as I want covid over sadly it brought peace to our neighborhood because of the privately owned party venue, restaurant type business. Can the council help keep our peace going forward?
Basket ball is played year round at school courts. Why is this different?
A business placed in a park is a whole other ballgame. Council look into this and help that area. The peace of covid will end soon
To the reader who requested the web site that identifies pickelball as a “ human health risk” see post by Gail on Jan 1, 2021 above. Link is in red.
I spent over thirty thousand dollars to plant the arborvitae at the rear of my property.In addition, the arborvitae have been fed twice a year, sprayed, and trimmed for ten years. People should not speak about matters that they do not know.
$30k on plants
And we are supposed to be sympathetic to your entitled complaining?
It sometimes costs a lot of money to undo what the town has done to harm tax payers quality of life! And if plantings help good for you. Is there a solution for noise. I wish
The town should just fess up and say they are shutting down the Pickleball courts because they are bowing to pressure from the Glen School neighbors. Not because they are “figuring out the new fee structure”. Be honest please.
Let’s open up the discussion about the courts to the general public and hear what others have to say about the pluses and minuses of the newly configured courts. The fate of all courts, not just the Pickleball courts, should be determined by more than just the few who knew they were buying property near a public school property with ball fields, Tennis courts, etc.
The noise at Glen school pickleball courts will always be there unless you convert it to an indoor or bubble court.