Southold Town to study ways to mitigate pickleball noise in East Marion

The Town of Southold is searching for sound engineers to obscure the plasticky plunk of pickleball — and find the sweet spot between recreation and relaxation — before it unveils new courts in East Marion.

In response to surging demand for pickleball, the town is building three courts at the 10-acre Old Schoolhouse Park on Main Road.

But neighbors in the hamlet of 1,048 residents are concerned the popping noises will disturb their peace. Pickleball, a noisy game, remains the fastest-growing sport in the country, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.

Late last month, 50 residents petitioned the town to study the potential traffic and noise impacts that pickleball could bring to East Marion. Last week, the town board voted unanimously to seek estimates from sound engineers to study the issue further.

Southold has six public pickleball courts at Tasker Park in Peconic, nine miles west.

"It’s such a popular sport, so it seemed to make sense to spread additional courts throughout the town," Town Supervisor Al Krupski said in an interview. The town plans to look into acoustic screening and sound fencing. 

"We want the public to be active and enjoy the outdoors and balance being a good neighbor," Krupski said.

Anxious neighbors

The town will plant trees to dampen noise from the game, Krupski said. Southold is spending $89,872 on the new courts, records show. The plantings could cost about $17,000, according to town estimates.

Some neighbors worry that a barrier of trees won’t be enough to block the noise.

"It’s going to be like we don’t want to be in our backyard," said Zinta Schnore, who lives nearby.

Dense vegetation can help reduce sound levels, but "may require 15 or more years of growth before it becomes effective," according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Laura Fauteux, who lives next to the park, said people have been using existing tennis courts to play pickleball and the noise is "constant."

"I grew up in a hunting family and it’s nothing like the sound of a gunshot," Fauteux, 52, said. "It’s more abrupt."

Growing concern

Sean Harkin, a senior acoustical consultant at the East Hampton-based SoundSense, said pickleball noise has been a hot topic in his industry.

The two main sources of noise are the lively players and their equipment.

"As the ball hits the paddle, it’s a very impulsive noise, which is why a lot of people find that noise disturbing," Harkin said.

"Impulsive sounds" are described by sound engineers as sudden, short-duration noises that stand out over background noise.

The annoying noise has led to multiple lawsuits across the country. In the Village of East Hampton, a couple sued to stop the construction of pickleball courts during a village park renovation. Village officials said the claim was "frivolous," and a judge dismissed the case last year.

Earlier this year, Southampton Village approved code changes to require the installation of acoustic fencing around pickleball courts. Under the new code, a tennis court can't be modified into a pickleball court if it isn't at least 30 feet from all property lines.

In Oyster Bay, neighbors near Pine Hollow Country Club in East Norwich raised concerns about three pickleball courts. After the town issued violations, the club installed noise-absorbing sound barriers. The town later sued the club for allegedly erecting the ball courts without proper permits.

No 'one size' approach

Barriers aren’t always the best remedy, said Harkin. Effective mitigation should take into account how sound is absorbed and reflected.

"You don’t necessarily want to just send the noise somewhere else," he said. Engineers can mathematically model solutions that factor in distance, topography and existing noise in the area.

The courts could be ready for play in November, town officials have said. Play will be limited to daylight hours since no lights will be installed, Krupski said.

But residents want Southold to postpone the opening until new sound barriers are installed.

"It's not just the decibels, it's the frequency," Schnore said of pickleball noise.