Having sat through the Aug. 17 North Saanich council meeting and the interminable pickleball tales of woe, nobody brought up the nuisance of the incessant noise pollution generated by the hollow plastic ball hitting a hardwood paddle or the court.
This annoying click-click noise interferes with tennis players’ enjoyment of their game on adjacent courts.
In Arizona, neighbors next to outdoor pickle ball courts have launched lawsuits against the owners of the courts (municipalities) to either cease or install noise abatement measures. The popular and expensive mitigation technology is an unsightly 20 foot high acoustical fence around the court.
It would behoove North Saanich council to take this factor into their deliberation when deciding to paint pickleball lines on their magnificently renovated tennis courts on Wain Road.
Central Saanich’s recent decision to paint pickle ball lines on one of their courts in Centennial Park will likely result in complaints from neighbors with livestock just over the fence.
My solution? Keep pickle ball indoors, or a good distance away from neighbors (and tennis players).
Tom Body, North Saanich
