After a 12 months of “operational challenges,” metropolis council in Martinez, CA, voted to completely finish pickleball play at one among its native parks.
Eight tennis courts on the Hidden Valley Sports activities Courts had been transformed to pickleball and opened to the general public in February of 2025.
Noise complaints instantly adopted and have endured ever since.
Regardless of quite a few efforts to alleviate the issue — designated hours, encouraging quieter tools, onsite signage, and many others. — the courts are closed for good, efficient instantly.
The initiative reportedly value about $1.5 million to finish.
“We perceive that this has been a troublesome and emotional subject for a lot of in our neighborhood,” mentioned Mayor Brianne Zorn.
The city even enlisted an unbiased acoustical engineer specializing in pickleball noise, “whose knowledgeable opinion concluded that no possible mitigation measures might adequately handle the noise impacts given the courts’ location.”
It’s arduous to not marvel what went flawed within the planning section right here.
Both the city officers didn’t initially perceive the noise related to outside pickleball, or they didn’t admire how well-liked the courts can be as soon as opened. Or perhaps each? What a disgrace.
And if you happen to’re considering you have heard this story earlier than, you are proper: Carmel-by-the-Sea, one other California city, made headlines final 12 months for related causes, changing into California’s first city to completely ban outside pickleball.
Picture by way of Metropolis of Martinez, CA.
