Morristown residents press council on pickleball noise and safety; town plans to relocate courts

Several Morristown residents told the Town Council on March 11 that newly installed pickleball courts at Lidgerwood Park are causing noise, safety and maintenance problems and asked the town for a faster solution.

The residents said problems began after sound‑mitigation panels were installed. “Pickleball far more than tennis, just from the sound of the the balls,” said Amelia Nunn, who lives behind Lidgerwood Park. Nunn told the council the panels have been followed by people sleeping and urinating behind the courts and by safety issues on the adjacent walking path where sight lines are blocked.

Stella Su, who said she lives next door to Nunn, urged the council to move the courts because “there are young children and elderly in our neighborhood, and it causes a lot of noise pollution.”

Christine Conte Collins, a downtown resident, also raised a separate but related public‑safety concern about double and triple parking near the Starbucks on West Park Place, saying it creates “a danger zone” for pedestrians.

Council members and town staff responded at the meeting. Jillian (business administrator), speaking for the administration, said the town invested in sound dampening but that the measures had not achieved the expected results and that relocating the courts is in the town’s capital plan. “We are planning through this year's capital program to relocate the pickleball courts to another part of town that has does not have residential property,” Jillian said. She added that engineering has begun planning and budgeting and that “the quickest we can likely do construction would be in the fall, pending, obviously, the budget being adopted, and then all the processes that require, getting the contractors in place, the bidding process, etcetera.”

Council members described interim measures. The town said it will continue to have the police monitor the site and try to improve the reliability of court locking and opening. The administration also said it will consider short‑term parking adjustments downtown—such as changing some spots to short‑term loading—to reduce double parking by delivery drivers.

Officials said they are exploring partnerships with neighboring Morris Township and private operators to find sites farther from residences. The council noted some private and township courts already exist and that a joint or off‑site solution could reduce impacts on nearby homes.

The council did not set a construction start date beyond the fall timeframe and said the project will depend on budget approval and contractor procurement. Residents were told the administration will provide more detail during the upcoming capital‑budget discussions.

Ending

Council members asked residents to continue sending emails to the administration and said staff would follow up. The business administrator and the police department were identified as points of contact for short‑term enforcement and for updates on the capital project.