Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks And Recreation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Neighbors seek noise and lighting limits at Tiger Miner Park after new pickleball courts; city staff to return with options
Summary
Residents complained to the commission about early-morning play, lighting spill and other disturbances from newly installed pickleball courts at Tiger Miner Park. Commissioners directed staff to return with options including changing park hours to 8 a.m.–8 p.m., reinstalling gates and adding sound-mitigation and lighting controls.
Several Ocoee residents told commissioners on Sept. 16 that new pickleball activity at Tiger Miner Park is creating sustained noise and late-night activity that is disturbing nearby homes.
Residents and neighbors described early-morning starts and long evening use at the newly installed courts. “We have tennis courts and playgrounds and stuff like that, but they have put in a pickleball court there. And the enthusiasm of the pickleball players is to get there as early as they can at 06:00 and to leave as late as they can at 10:00,” said resident Dave Denmark, who lives on Gallego Avenue. He asked the city to change lighting hours and restore gates at park entrances.
Debbie Gulley, another nearby resident, said the lights and the continuous play have removed the backyard tranquility she expected when she bought her home: “At 06:30 in the morning, it's pop, pop, pop, pop. So it would be nice if that noise… would begin at 08:00.”
City response and staff direction Commissioners responded that they had not previously heard concerns but thanked residents for raising them. Parks and leisure staff and Director Mark Johnson had already discussed possible mitigations with the commission. The city manager recommended that staff return at the next commission meeting with a formal plan and said he had discussed options with the parks director, including sound mitigation barriers, reinstallation of rolling gates at the park entrances, and reviewing hours of operation.
Commissioners signaled support for limiting park or court hours to an 8 a.m.–8 p.m. window as one workable option and asked staff to present alternatives for gating and noise mitigation. Staff also noted that any permitted lighting installed for courts would use full-cutoff fixtures to limit light spill and comply with code; staff said lights can be put on timers and locked to prevent after-hours activation. The budget currently includes lighting for the new courts, but staff said they could revisit that line item depending on the schedule of approved hours.
Why it matters: The park borders residential yards and neighbors said the combination of early start times, extended play, and light spill has reduced quality-of-life for adjacent homeowners. The city’s actions could set a local precedent for hours, lighting controls and sound mitigation at small neighborhood facilities.
Next steps Staff will return with a formal proposal at the next commission meeting that may include an ordinance or administrative determination to limit park/court hours, reinstall perimeter gates, and propose sound-mitigation approaches. Commissioners and staff discussed both immediate operational changes (timers and locks on lights) and longer-term design solutions (vegetative or physical sound barriers).
