Residents and neighbors pressed the Methuen City Council on July 7 about persistent noise from the new pickleball courts at Methuen High School and about repeat loud private parties, while Mayor Beauregard told councilors he signed a product-only contract for professional acoustic barrier panels to reduce evening sound from the courts.

Several speakers during public participation described ongoing noise and sleep disruption. Steven Tamburthio, a neighborhood resident, said measures promised earlier this year had not solved the problem: “I was told the vegetation would fill in and would stop the noise. I thought that was stupid during the planning process … The hours of operation sign has done nothing. The people play well before it, they play well after it.” Another resident from West Methuen asked the council to “amp up the penalties” for repeat offenders of the city’s noise ordinance and expressed concern about blocked streets and potential emergency access issues during large gatherings.

The mayor described a two-part approach: short-term enforcement and a capital purchase. “On July 1, I signed a contract with Silencer Panels, a vendor based in Kansas City, for the purchase of professional grade acoustic barrier panels,” Mayor Beauregard said. He said the panels address “the unique sound characteristics of pickleball play” and that the city’s Department of Public Works will handle installation in-house to save labor costs. The mayor gave an expected delivery timeline of “four to six weeks” from contract signing and told residents DPW would install panels “along the fence line facing the neighborhood adjacent to the courts.”

Councilors and the mayor also discussed enforcement and expectations. In public comment, a speaker who identified as living in West Methuen urged clearer limits on permitted residential events and stiffer fines for repeat offenders; the speaker asked the city to reserve permits for public areas rather than single private homes. Steven Tamburthio said he did not think it is “fair to Chief McNamara and the police department to be the ones that have to now be the ones responsible for taking care of what was a poorly planned project by the rec department.”

Mayor Beauregard also told councilors that residents can reserve court time at methuen.gov/rec and that Parks and Recreation Superintendent Steve Angelo is the ADA point of contact for questions about access or parking at the high school. He reiterated that sound measurements for the courts remain “well within the city's noise ordinance limits,” even as the city moves forward with mitigation hardware.

Discussion at the meeting included calls for the council to follow up with the Recreation Department, to monitor installation timing, and to report back to neighbors on both installation and enforcement outcomes. Speakers asked for a clear public timeline, and several councilors raised the need for faster communication between departments when mitigation measures have been promised to neighbors.

For now, the city has purchased the acoustic material; DPW will schedule installation once the product arrives, and residents and councilors said they will watch for results and continue to press for enforcement where permits or repeated disturbance occur.