PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. — A park in Prairie Village, Kansas, is at the center of a pickleball controversy due to neighbors complaining about what they call a noisy game.
They might actually get rid of all six pickleball courts at Windsor Park. That’s one of three options on the table right now because some of the neighbors can’t stand the noise.
Pickleball is a loud sport, as the goal is to hit a plastic ball with a plastic paddle. The thwack-thwack sound is constant, and it can get as loud as 70 decibels—the same level of noise as a vacuum cleaner.
Neighbors started complaining last summer, shortly after Prairie Village Parks and Recreation converted the tennis courts to pickleball courts.
The City Council looked into installing noise-dampening curtains around part of the court, and they did a noise study to find out which neighbors were affected the most.
Last month, the City Council decided that before they do anything, they want their Parks and Recreation Committee to reevaluate the situation. The committee will discuss several options Wednesday afternoon.
Here are the options parks and recreation have proposed to help with the noise:
- Install noise-dampening curtains for $23,000
- Install curtains and reduce the number of pickleball courts from six to four, turning two of them back into a tennis court.
- The final option is to get rid of all the pickleball courts and turn them back into tennis courts.
Neighbors also said that since people started playing pickleball here, there have been many more cars parked on the street, and there is concern that noise-dampening curtains will block the view of parents trying to watch their kids at the park.
Prairie Village is not the only city dealing with pickleball noise.
Many other towns here and across the country are figuring out ways to let people play this popular sport without annoying neighbors.
The Parks and Recreation Committee begins at four o’clock Wednesday afternoon at City Hall. The public is welcome to attend and give their feedback as they discuss the future of pickleball here at Windsor Park.