Lisle board orders independent sound study, urges Park District talks after years-long pickleball dispute at Abbey Wood Park

The Village of Lisle Committee of the Whole on March 3 directed staff to solicit quotes for an independent sound study and to conduct decibel measurements at residences adjacent to Abbey Wood Park, as trustees continued a months‑long debate over whether pickleball play should be treated differently under the village’s noise exemptions (Village of Lisle Code, Title 5, Chapter 20).

The action came after multiple public commenters described opposite experiences at the Abbey Wood courts. John Gurdian, a Green Trails resident, described pickleball as a community benefit and said the courts had “reenergized” his family’s activity. "Pickleball is just 1 more of these activities," Gurdian told the board, arguing the courts were no different than other park noise such as children or basketball courts and that the park district has shortened hours and moved programming to Tate Woods Park to reduce impacts.

By contrast, Vidas Motelauskas, a nearby resident, pressed the board to take a stricter approach. "I still also believe that the simplest, least complex solution is to simply declare pickleball nuisance at Abbey Wood Park," Motelauskas said, urging the board to limit the Park District’s exemption and citing studies and personal health impacts.

Why it matters: the village’s current ordinance exempts organized park activities from noise limits, a status that residents on both sides say affects property values, residents’ quality of life and where the Park District may program classes or instruction. Trustees repeatedly said the immediate question is not whether to ban pickleball but how a data-driven test could determine whether the activity exceeds enforceable noise standards.

Trustees and staff spent the meeting debating remedies and process. Trustee Olsen said the board needed to consider more than one activity: “We’re not addressing the noise ordinance in general. It’s specific to pickleball… It does not address the noise ordinance and have we don't have any input from other organizations and institutions that would be impacted,” Olsen said, referencing churches and schools that also use exemptions. Trustee Lesniak pressed for objective measurement, asking whether the Park District or an independent party had taken decibel readings at affected homes.

Deputy Village Manager Rachel Mitchell and Village Manager Erp Mode told trustees that the village’s ordinance already includes measurement standards and that an independent consultant could evaluate the combination of level, frequency and repetition that residents describe as most intrusive. Trustees and the mayor agreed staff should obtain quotes for an independent study to be carried out at residential frontages within a 250‑foot buffer of the park and to plan sampling occasions in spring and again in summer when court use is highest. The board asked staff to coordinate the study and to notify the Park District and court users; staff said it would seek the Park District’s permission and would design the sampling to avoid biased results (for example, by ensuring play does not pause because of visible measurement activity).

Trustees debated remedies short of ordinance change. Several trustees urged renewed negotiation between the Park District and neighbors — for example, targeted quiet‑ball pilots, adjusted hours, moving programming to Tate Woods, or site changes — rather than a narrow, park‑specific carve‑out to the village code. Trustee Greco suggested changing allowable hours, proposing a later morning start as a possible option. Trustee Mullins said the village shouldn’t adopt piecemeal exemptions for a single activity and urged a study to inform any broader code changes.

What will happen next: staff will solicit quotes for an independent acoustical study, plan decibel readings at residences within about 250 feet of Abbey Wood Park during spring and summer high‑use periods, and report back to the board with costs, scope and recommended next steps. No change to the noise‑exemption ordinance was adopted at the meeting; trustees said they wanted empirical data before considering legislation.

Community context: the dispute at Abbey Wood reflects a wider trend in suburban communities where increased pickleball play at neighborhood parks has produced noise complaints and prompted some municipalities to consider time, distance or equipment rules to mitigate impacts. Lisle Park District representatives did not present at the meeting but were referenced by public commenters and trustees. The Park District has already shortened court hours and shifted lessons to Tate Woods Park in response to complaints.

The Committee of the Whole will review the consultant quotes and the proposed sampling plan at a future meeting before taking any legislative action or directing enforcement changes.