Residents voice concerns about proposed pickleball courts; others advocate for them

February 12, 2025 By Carol Britton Meyer

Some residents who live in the area of the proposed new pickleball courts near Carlson Field expressed concerns about noise, traffic, and other issues during a select board discussion of a related warrant article Tuesday night.

There were also project advocates in the audience who aired their views.

The recreation commission is seeking Community Preservation Act funding of $758,640 for the proposed 12 courts — or roughly 40 percent of the estimated $1.9 million total cost.

These courts would complement the Cronin Field and Plymouth River School tennis courts, which have pickleball overlays, and would have 39 parking spaces.

The commission’s goal is “to better meet the demand of the town’s growing pickleball population.”

No votes taken yet
Following a lengthy discussion during a joint meeting with Community Preservation Committee members and the advisory committee, the select board declined to vote on this and several other CPC-recommended projects that will be the subject of one Town Meeting warrant article,  pending further discussion about the pickleball proposal.

The board also postponed discussion on a related but separate article regarding potential funding for the remainder of the project outside of the CPA process. Select board member William Ramsey recused himself from the pickleball discussion because his wife, Adrienne, sits on the recreation commission.

CPA funding comes from a 1.5 percent annual taxpayer surcharge that Hingham voters adopted in 2000. The state matches a portion of the funds, which may only be put toward affordable housing, open space, historic preservation, and certain recreation projects.

During the discussion, Conservatory Park, Adams Court, and Hillside Terrace residents voiced concerns related to potential noise and traffic impacts and also that neighbors weren’t notified much earlier about the proposal because they were outside of the 300-foot abutter notification requirement.

Sound study is ‘confusing’
Conservatory Park resident Bill Crean said he finds the sound study conducted by a consultant to be confusing and would like further clarification.

He also noted that neighbors submitted a letter to the select board the same day as the meeting, airing their concerns and requesting a meeting about the sound study to help them better understand the results. “We were told initially that noise concerns would be non-existent,” he said, but the results of the sound study indicate otherwise.

“We’re not against the location, but we want to dig into the proposed mitigation to build a win-win for everybody,” Crean said.

“We’re confused and nervous and want to get the answers [soon] if we’re going to vote on this proposal in late April [at the annual town meeting].”

Hillside Terrace resident Hillary Tutko noted that “there are numerous lawsuits throughout the country regarding pickleball courts — [some] are being shut down. We would be subject to a total exposure of up to 130,000 high-pitched pops a day [if the pickleball courts were situated at the currently proposed location], for 8 to 12 hours a day. It’s a highly impulsive noise . . . with a similar sound frequency to an aluminum bat hitting a ball over 100,000 times a day.”

Jones Street resident Christine Collins, on the other hand, expressed support for the proposal. She’s familiar with pickleball courts at a country club in Maine. “You can’t hear a sound with the sound screens. If you could just take away the fear factor and see for yourselves and make a judgment from the facts, that would be a wise move,” she said.

‘Give the project a chance’
Mary Ann Bryan, a Prospect Street resident, explained that she has been involved “with this project from the beginning. Pickleball courts are at a premium in Hingham, and they build community.” She encouraged those with concerns to give the project a chance, noting that a neighbor living in close proximity to the Plymouth River School pickleball courts has said that noise is not an issue.

Adams Court resident Jim Costello holds another view. His concerns center primarily around noise and traffic concerns, as well as the possibility of pickleball tournaments at that site. One of his concerns is that adding 12 pickleball courts near Carlson Field will worsen the number of cars that already cut through their private roadway, sometimes at high speeds, to get to Carlson Field, as an example.

Former Hingham resident Melissa Robin, who now lives in Hull, spoke in favor of the courts, saying that many people know her “as the face of pickleball.” That’s because she is an ambassador for USA Pickleball, working with different communities in a volunteer role to help them develop pickleball courts. “I firmly believe the proposed site is a very good one, and as the process unfolds, traffic and other issues will be looked into.”

Robin noted that one of the biggest benefits of pickleball is that people of all ages can participate.

Recreation Department Director Mark Thorell explained the sound study and related mitigation proposals and that there is a natural wooded buffer around the site.

‘Noise is a very real issue’
“We understand that noise is a very real issue,” he said, noting that the Bare Cove site where the former Traces building now sits “is the most optimal location in Hingham for dedicated pickleball courts” following a CPA-funded feasibility study that included exploration of  potential sites and design funding. The Traces structure would be demolished.

Recreation commissioner Vicki Donlan emphasized that what was presented is a preliminary design only.

In order to become a reality, the related warrant articles must pass at Town Meeting and the required permits issued — including conservation commission review. There will also be an environmental site assessment.

The advisory committee will discuss the proposal at an upcoming meeting.

The other CPC-recommended projects for consideration at the upcoming Town Meeting relate to:

• $40,000  to be used by the CPC to cover administrative and operating expenses;
• $209,179 to be available for expenditure by the select board for the payment of bonds or notes borrowed for earlier Community Preservation projects;
• $700,000 to the Hingham Affordable Housing Trust Opportunity Fund to be used for community housing purposes and opportunities;
• $600,000 to be used by the Hingham Historical Society, Inc. for the Old Ordinary Campus Improvements Project to improve the visitor experience and in anticipation of the town’s upcoming 250th celebration — a statewide initiative to celebrate 250 years of America’s independence and Massachusetts’ revolutionary legacy.

More information about all the proposals will be shared leading up to Town Meeting, where voters will have the final say on all the warrant articles.

Town Meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 28, and will continue the following night if business doesn’t wrap up in the first session.