Braintree neighborhood says nearby pickleball courts cause "constant stress"

BRAINTREE - Neighbors in one Braintree neighborhood are fed up with the unrelenting sounds of pickleball being played outside their homes.

"Pickleball noise is a problem"

"I can't enjoy my house. It's an unbelievable amount of noise I have to put up with," Braintree resident Michael Megley said.

The sport has exploded in Braintree from 12 players ten years ago to nearly 600 in 2024. The city's eight courts next to Hollis Field can accommodate 32 players at once, with many more waiting their turn.

Neighbors working from home on Wynot Road are very annoyed. "Pickleball noise is a problem. It's not right. There are people work for home, and their windows are closed, they can hear it," another neighbor said.

The city installed sound acoustic panels in the spring that go half away around the court, but neighbors say it's still too noisy.

"The sound still travels over it. As you can see it's a line-of-sight issue. My second floor gets bombarded. It's 13 hours a day and seven days a week," Megley said.

Trying to find a solution

Braintree Mayor Erin Joyce says she lives near the pickleball courts as well and hears the noise.

"It's very popular and people enjoy the sport for sure. We are definitely considering limiting hours. What we've done right now is that the pickleball club has certain hours they're restricted to use it, and outside of that, it's open to the public. What we are not trying to do is be in a position in closing a public park," Joyce said.

Megley says reducing the hours people play the sport could make a difference, but right now it's impacting his quality of life.

"It doesn't let me enjoy going out in my yard. It's just stressful. It causes constant stress. Whenever you hear that noise it just gets on your nerves. Just non-stop," he said. Mayor Joyce says she has received a number of complaints.

" We are really trying to evaluate it and short of locking the courts up we trying to see what we can do to limit people playing it outside normal hours," she said.