Pop-pop-pop-pop. Or clink-clink-clink. 

That is how some Barrington residents described the sound of people playing pickle-ball, and, according to those who live near the Kent Street courts, that sound can become very disruptive.

About a dozen residents attended the Barrington Park and Recreation Commission meeting on Thursday night, Sept. 26, and shared their concerns about a proposal by the town to install lights at Kent Street and potentially expand the hours of pickle-ball play at the neighborhood courts. 

After a lengthy discussion, the Commission voted to limit the hours of pickle-ball play at the courts (with or without lights) from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The town recently renovated the Kent Street courts — there is a new asphalt playing surface painted blue and green, new nets, and new fences surrounding the courts. The town also had construction crews install the necessary wiring to support overhead lights. The Kent Street courts had never had lights in the past. 

Commission Chairman Tom “TR” Rimoshytus said the town had additional ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) money and needed to spend it by the end of the year. 

“It’s not costing the town anything,” added Barrington Recreation Department Director Jean Bellm. 

But some Barrington residents questioned whether the free investment was really worth it. 

Dr. Michael Johnson lives near the Kent Street courts and shared some of his concerns. He said most of his neighbors were not aware of the town’s plan to add lights at the Kent Street courts, but those who were aware had concerns about the impact on surrounding homes. 

Dr. Johnson said he had nothing against pickle-ball but was worried about the noise associated with the sport. He said the sound of rackets whacking plastic balls was not bad during the daytime, but could become an issue at night. He cited a New York Times article that detailed a Virginia neighborhood’s struggles with pickle-ball noise. 

Dr. Johnson opposed extending pickle-ball play at the court past dusk. 

“The main thing that comes out in all these communities is the noise. It’s the noise, I think, above all,” Dr. Johnson said. “My thinking is that if you put lights in, you’re extending this noise. The lights facilitate extended play, and extended noise.”

Patricia Stoddard lives near the Kent Street courts. She opposed keeping lights on until 9 p.m. 

A Fireside Drive resident told Commission members that she had young children and the noise could disrupt their bedtime. 

Ian Ridlon lives near the courts and pointed to the town’s noise ordinance, which states “Each person has a right to an environment reasonably free from noise which jeopardizes health or welfare or unnecessarily degrades the quality of life.” Ridlon said a number of other cities and towns are being sued due to noise issues near pickle-ball courts. 

The town of Falmouth, Mass. recently settled with a group of residents who had filed a lawsuit against the community over the noise created by pickle-ball at courts near their homes. According to an article in a Falmouth newspaper, the town initially set time limits to when people could use the courts for pickle-ball, but people ignored the rules. As part of the settlement, Falmouth agreed to permanently ban pickle-ball at the courts and remove the pickle-ball lines from the courts. 

During the Barrington Park and Recreation Commission meeting, Ridlon asked if it was really going to be worth it for the town to install the lights, just because they had the ARPA money. 

Kathleen Simon lives near the courts and said she supported her neighbors’ concerns. 

Mike Pendergast said he was not happy with the idea that the lights being on until 10 p.m. He said the Kent Street courts have been around for 50 years and there was never a need for lights during that time. Pendergast said he was not against recreation or lights, but wanted a reasonable time limit for the lights. 

Mark Siskinde said he played pickle-ball, but he agreed with the neighbors to the Kent Street courts. He asked why people would need to play pickle-ball at night. 

Some other pickle-ball enthusiasts endorsed limitations to the lights. Gregory Knight said he was sympathetic to the neighbors’ concerns. He added that there are pickle-ball courts at the middle school and the lights there remain on until 10 p.m. Knight said a time frame of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., which had been offered earlier by a Commission member, seemed reasonable. 

Patty Ridlon said she had concerns about the lights. She also mentioned the noise created by early-morning pickle-ball players — she said there was nothing worse than hearing the noise at 6 a.m. 

Ridlon said this past summer was great because the courts were under construction and there was no pickle-ball noise. 

Eventually, Commission member Geoff Turner made a motion to limit the pickle-ball play at Kent Street courts from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Anthony Arico seconded the motion, which passed with a near unanimous vote. 

Dr. Johnson said he believes the decision was reasonable. 

“I still question ‘Do you really need the lights?’” Dr. Johnson said. “Is that the best use of $50,000? I get that it’ll extend play from 4:30 to 6 for pickle ball, and I’m OK with that. But I would go back and say ‘Is that really worth the expense? The lights? The hassle?

“Ideally, when it got dark it would be nice not to play. And is it worth having lights on to extend play for an hour and a half?… But I can live with it.”