A Smithfield resident raised repeated complaints at the Oct. 7 Town Council meeting about noise from pickleball courts at Willow Park and urged the town to treat complaints from affected neighbors the same way it has handled other park-adjacent noise.

Steven Landy, a longtime Smithfield resident and retired PGA professional, said the short, sharp sound of pickleball is distinctly annoying to neighbors and questioned why Willow Park residents were being treated differently from residents near other parks. "Why are we treating the people at Willow any different than we do the people around Deerfield Park or the people around Willow?" Landy asked.

Town officials and council members said they were attempting to balance recreational use with neighborhood quality of life. A town official who spoke to the comment noted that the police and town staff had visited the site and described efforts to find "a middle ground" that would allow play while reducing disturbance. The official said temporary measures under consideration include designated hours for standard balls, requiring quieter or engineered "quiet" balls during other time blocks, and trialing quieter balls the town has purchased for testing.

"I don't want this town to get into a court case because of pickleball," the official said, adding that longer-term options might include acoustic mitigation (barriers) or relocating courts to another park such as Deerfield if a permanent solution cannot be found. Council members said the town will pursue discussions with neighbors and players and seek a compromise rather than immediate removal of the courts.

Council and staff described the near-term approach as time-limited compromises to reduce noise while staff explores permanent mitigation, funding and possible relocation. No ordinance change or formal vote about the courts was recorded at the meeting.