February 28, 2025 By Carol Britton Meyer
Town Meeting voters will have the final say on whether to appropriate $1.9 million — including $760,000 from Community Preservation Act funds — to construct 12 pickleball courts near Carlson Field that will include noise mitigation.
While there are many advocates for this proposal, a number of abutters have serious concerns.
As part of the effort to address these issues, the recreation commission hosted a Zoom meeting — attended by about 40 people — Thursday night at the request of abutters that lasted 2-1/2 hours. This was an opportunity for the public to engage with an engineer who recently helped complete a noise study for the proposed project.
At the beginning of the meeting, recreation commission chair Vicki Donlan asked participants to listen to a presentation by noise control engineer Michael Bahtiarian, who is familiar with the site.
Noise mitigation part of proposal
The conclusions drawn from the study include that abutters “will hear many sporting events from the site and that while pickleball-related noise will be audible outside, it will not be audible inside with the windows closed.
It was noted that the town of Hingham noise bylaw doesn’t specify specific sound limits but rather addresses “noise disturbances.”
Advocate Rob Mastroianni spoke on behalf of abutters who are concerned about the proposal. He was involved with a neighborhood pickleball noise issue in Falmouth in 2020.
“We fought the problem, but it took a toll on the community, divided longtime friendships, and was difficult for everybody,” he recalled.
Mastroianni is involved with the pickleball noise relief website (https://www.pickleballnoiserelief.com/). The group’s mission is “to empower individuals and communities to take action against pickleball noise pollution and protect their quality of life.”
He emphasized that the decibel level isn’t the main issue and that the noise study doesn’t address the issue of “impulsive, tonal, and repetitive noise.”
People “can talk about decibels (units for measuring the relative intensities of sound) all day long, but it’s not about the decibels but the number of pops [people hear from pickleball],” Mastroianni said. “If you can hear them, then it’s a problem. Let’s slow the train, which doesn’t mean nothing will happen there.”
Bahtiarian asked Mastroianni to put his comments and concerns in writing and said that he would respond, rather than taking time to discuss technical points during the highly attended meeting.
‘We want to ensure everyone is heard’
Following Bahtiarian’s and Mastroianni’s presentations, those with questions or concerns shared their thoughts. “There is no time limit to this meeting to ensure everyone is heard,” Donlan said.
Bahtiarian noted that based on a model noise ordinance for pickleball that was applied to the proposed Bare Cove location and other factors, “it’s the opinion [of those involved in the study] that there really should not be noise concerns at this location.”
Several times during the meeting, different people were speaking over each other to ensure their thoughts were heard.
At one point, Donlan asked the two consultants “to take a deep breath” in order to accept questions and comments from the other participants — whether a concern or support for the proposed new pickleball courts.
Abutter Bill Crean expressed concern that he and others living near the proposed site weren’t given notice of the proposal at the outset. “It was mentioned earlier that noise concerns would be non-existent, but neighbors pushed for a noise study that reports that at every location the noise from pickleball will be audible and to close our windows if we don’t want to hear the noise,” he said.
Mike Moonan of CHA Consulting, who was involved with the feasibility that identified the proposed location as the best one in town for the pickleball courts, noted that US Pickleball and other standards say that these courts should be placed at least 250 feet away from homes (usually with noise mitigation in place).
He said that he generally goes with the number 400 to 600 feet away from the nearest home, noting that the nearest abutter to the proposed pickleball site lives nearly 800 feet away.
‘There is a fix here, but we need more time’
At the end of a lengthy discussion, Mastroianni said he believes “there is a fix here, but we need more time to avoid litigation and angry neighbors. This is like a success story in the making if we make it one.”
Donlan, who has been working on this project for five years said she wanted to “make it crystal clear to abutters that they absolutely have been heard.”
Donlan also apologized for not notifying abutters living in the Conservatory Park, Adams Court, and Hillside Terrace neighborhoods at the outset. “With the nearest abutter nearly 800 feet away, we didn’t think abutters would be concerned,” she said.
Hillside Terrace resident Hillary Tutko pointed to the issue of impulsive noise. “We are going to hear a potential 130,000 pops a day over an 8- to 12-hour period,” she said.
On the other hand, Hingham pickleball ambassador Liza O’Reilly supports the proposed project. “Pickleball has brought so much joy to players in this community,” she said, noting that many Hingham players have the need to go to neighboring communities to play pickleball because there are no dedicated courts in town.
Crean emphasized that neighbors “never said don’t put the courts here. We just want to be sure the best possible mitigation is [part of the proposal].”
If town meeting wasn’t on the near horizon, he said, “we would be able to take the time to sit down and find the best way to do this.”
Mastroianni added that “no one is saying pickleball isn’t a wonderful sport, but it’s well-known that the acoustics of pickleball can trigger a stress response. Being forced to listen to that noise everyday can raise the heartrate, [according to some studies],” he said.
Prospect Street resident Mary Ann Bryan, who has been involved in this process from the beginning, noted that these would be the first dedicated pickleball courts in Hingham. “This is a project for the entire community,” she said.
‘We want the best possible outcome for the town’
Donlan noted that pickleball has become more and more popular locally and “around the country and world. We want the best possible outcome for the entire town.”
She also emphasized that what has been presented so far is a preliminary design only.
In order to become a reality, the related warrant articles need to pass at Town Meeting and the required permits issued — including conservation commission review. There will also be an environmental site assessment.
“Without the full amount of money, we couldn’t build the courts,” Donlan said.
Crean said he plans to do research to find the best kind of noise mitigation for the project. “I want to be sure it’s a win-win for everyone,” he said.
Town Meeting, is scheduled for April 28 and the follow night if business doesn’t wrap up in one session.
The Pickleball scourge continues to blemish the Commonwealth