Everybody’s entitled to quiet enjoyment of their property. That isn’t listening to pickle ball at 6 o’clock in the morning.”

Resident Mike Pendergast

When the public comment was closed, out of nowhere came the 8 to 6.”

Patty Winderman

Lights are coming soon to the Kent Street courts, but it is not clear how long they will be allowed to shine.

At their October meeting, members of the Barrington Town Council voted 3-2 to install overhead lights at the neighborhood tennis/pickle ball courts. And a month later, at their November meeting, Councilors were still undecided on the hours of operation for the lights. 

Not everyone at the the Oct. 7 Council meeting agreed with the decision to install lights at Kent Street. 

Mike Pendergast has lived near the Kent Street courts for 30 years and told Council members there was no need to install lights there. 

“It is a residential neighborhood. This isn’t the high school. This isn’t the middle school, a multi-acre facility with Class A sports or anything like that. It’s a neighborhood tennis court,” Pendergast said. “For the last 50 years there’s been no cry for lights, but you’ve got a few dollars and you think that would be the best use of it. In light of what I’ve heard from some of the non-profit folks, I’m not so sure of that.”

Pendergast was referring to a request for ARPA funding from officials at the Bayside YMCA just a few minutes earlier during the Council meeting. Officials have not yet decided whether to grant the money to the YMCA, which would use the funding to renovate the outdoor pool.

Barrington Town Manager Phil Hervey, in a memo to Council members, endorsed the installation of lights at the Kent Street courts. Hervey wrote that “providing expanded, after-dusk access for tennis is recommended, as it would provide the public more access to these new courts throughout the year.” 

The town recently hired a contractor to renovate the Kent Street courts — the project was completed a few months ago. 

Barrington Town Council Vice President Rob Humm agreed with Hervey. Humm said the newly-renovated courts look great, are a great amenity for the Hampden Meadows area of Barrington, and he would like to see residents have a bit more time to use them.

Pendergast asked Council members to consider the residents who live close to the courts. 

“Everybody’s entitled to quiet enjoyment of their property,” Pendergast said. “That isn’t listening to pickle ball at 6 o’clock in the morning.”

Pendergast added that he cannot remember a single time during his three decades living in town when a person raised the issue “We need lights at Kent Street.”

Carla Martin lives on Old Chimney Road. She told Council members that she was surprised to learn that the town was going to spend $50,000 on new lights before reaching out to neighbors. She was also concerned about the possible environmental impact of the lights — Martin said the land surrounding the courts is a conservation area. 

Light limits

In addition to challenging the need for lights at the Kent Street courts, Pendergast also asked town officials to place reasonable limits on how late the Kent Street lights could remain on. 

“I don’t see the need to have lights on until 10 o’clock and have people there,” Pendergast said. He was concerned that 

Mike Seward, the Chairman of the Barrington Park and Recreation Commission, said his board voted to limit pickle ball at Kent Street from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Seward said the Commission felt that it would be OK to allow tennis to play a bit later, until 8 p.m. Seward added that currently, pickle ball is allowed until sunset, which, in the summer, can be as late as 8 or 9 p.m.

But, personally, Seward’s opinion on light timing limits differed from that of the Commission. He proposed that pickle ball be allowed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and tennis could be played until 9 or 10 p.m.

Seward’s message had plenty of support. Residents, including Pam Fuller, said it was premature to limit pickle ball to 6 p.m. She had no problem with the 8 a.m. start time, but felt that 6 p.m. would not allow a large portion of residents to play — those who work until 5 or 5:30 and children who have after school activities. 

Ben Krol shared a similar concern. He said he worked until 5:30 p.m. and a 6 p.m. cut-off time would make it nearly impossible to play. Krol said it was reasonable for the town to maximize its investment in the newly constructed courts. 

Leigh Anne Cappello is a self-proclaimed huge fan of pickle ball. Cappello told Council members that pickle ball is the first sport that she and her husband can play together competitively and have fun. It also gets them outside all year long for exercise. But Cappello voiced concerns about a 6 p.m. cut-off time for the lights — she said that would restrict them from playing during the week. 

Cappello, who supports an 8 p.m. time limit, said she sympathized with residents who live near the courts. She suggested the town take a closer look at installing some sort of sound barrier to lessen pickle-ball noises. 

Patty Ridlon lives a short distance from the Kent Street courts and she is not so sure a sound barrier would make a difference. Ridlon told members of the Council that the town of Braintree, Mass. spent more than $20,000 to sound-proof pickle-ball courts, but the measure still did not work and now that town is facing a lawsuit. Ridlon cautioned: Barrington officials may want to consider not just the cost of lights or sound-proofing at Kent Street, but also future legal bills should residents file suit. 

Ridlon said pickle-ball may be fun for some residents, but for people who live near the courts the noise can be a nuisance. 

“It’s this sound all day long,” she said, the words falling in cadence with her hand tapping the podium. 

Ridlon said she is all for sports, all for exercise, but pickle ball has made it difficult for her and her husband to sit on their back deck and enjoy a quiet moment together. 

Ridlon questioned whether lights were needed at Kent Street, since the courts at Barrington Middle School are already lit. She asked that the Council stick with the recommendation of the Park and Rec Commission — pickle-ball allowed until 6 p.m., tennis until 8. 

If Patty Ridlon is focused on the the concerns surrounding pickle-ball, Patty Winderman is equally focused on its benefits. Winderman has been a key local proponent for the sport — she knows how the game created friendships among strangers and encouraged fitness for a new section of the population.

During the Oct. 7 meeting, Winderman told Council members how most people who attended the prior Park and Recreation Commission meeting had voiced support for the 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. window. 

“When the public comment was closed, out of nowhere came the 8 to 6,” she said. 

Winderman said the Council should evaluate the level of sound created by pickle-ball at Kent Street and also investigate sound mitigation methods. She said every location is unique.

Eventually, members of the Council voted to continue the discussion about time limits and sound mitigation at the courts until the November meeting, but residents who turned out for that meeting discovered that they would need to wait a little longer before anything was decided. 

Early in the Nov. 4 meeting, Council President Carl Kustell announced that setting limits on hours of use would require a new town ordinance. And creating a new ordinance is a multi-meeting process — first the ordinance is introduced, then there is a public hearing at a subsequent meeting. 

Let’s wait a bit

At the Nov. 4 meeting, members of the Council voted to the continue the Kent Street lights discussion to the January meeting. 

The Council had been expected to vote on a bid to purchase the lights for the new courts, but Councilor Kate Berard wanted to push pause. Berard said it was not a good idea to spend approximately $40,000 on new lights before officials had agreed on the hours of operation. She said it would be irresponsible for the town to spend that amount of money if it only extended the hours of play to 6 p.m. or so.

Council member Humm offered a little push-back. Humm reminded everyone that the Council had a month earlier voted to approve the installation of lights at Kent Street. It was a done deal, he said. But a moment later, he said it would make sense to discuss the issues at the same time. 

Council member Braxton Cloutier asked if delaying the discussion could impact the use of ARPA funds for the project. Hervey said officials could put that money back in the ARPA balance.

A short time later Berard restated her feelings about Kent Street — she believes the lights do not belong at the neighborhood courts.