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Residents, Lions Club and council discuss sound barriers, landscaping and parking around pickleball courts
Summary
At a Mayfield Town Council meeting, residents raised sustained noise complaints from the new pickleball courts; council members, town staff and the Lions Club discussed temporary and permanent sound-mitigation measures, landscaping, and parking improvements, and asked staff to research costs and options.
Residents told the Mayfield Town Council at its regular meeting that noise from pickleball play at the town park has made evening use of patios and yards difficult, and council members discussed short-term and permanent measures — including fabric barriers, slatted chain‑link inserts and expanded fencing — to reduce sound.
The issue drew a string of public comments. “We cannot sit in our patios. We cannot enjoy our lawns in the evening. It is horrible,” a resident said during the public‑comment period. Neighbors requested that the town explore ways to block or absorb sound along the west and south sides of the court, such as heavy tarps or mesh fabric attached to the fence.
Council members and staff agreed to research options and costs. “Let me get to some of the architects I know because they’ve been involved in a lot of cities where this has been a similar problem,” one council member said, adding, “let me see what that would be and what it would do, and then I’ll get back to everybody.” Staff and council suggested comparing temporary fabric solutions against more permanent slatted inserts for the chain‑link fence.
The Lions Club, which presented later in the meeting, listed finishing the pickleball court landscaping and related work as a top priority for its next project year. Council members said they have preliminary designs for a parking/landscape layout near the courts and that landscaping (smaller cobble, drought‑tolerant plantings and a mow strip) could help with sound deflection and long‑term maintenance. Council members also reported receiving two preliminary contractor bids to finish landscaping and related site work — one for about $37,000 and another near $89,000 — and said they thought better pricing might be found.
Council and volunteers discussed more detailed options for fence treatments. Staff read preliminary measurements discussed at the meeting: the courts were described as roughly 66 by 66 feet, which produces about 132 linear feet of fence per side to cover. Council members discussed types of slats (tube slats, privacy slats and thicker privacy slats) and wind considerations; one council member asked the town to obtain vendor brochures and cost estimates for slat types and for fabric/mesh sound‑absorbent materials.
Speakers emphasized balancing noise reduction with continued public access. “They love it. They love to be down there. It’s a place for families to go and enjoy,” a resident said, and Lions Club and council members repeatedly said they wanted to preserve park access while reducing the noise impacts on nearby homeowners.
Next steps recorded in the discussion included staff and council members collecting professional input (architects and the original contractor), getting price lists/brochures for fence slats and fabric, and returning options and cost estimates to the council and the Lions Club for review. The Lions Club said it could consider fundraising or contributing to construction costs if the council pursues a formal grant or matching fund application.
Ending: Council members asked staff to bring back firm cost estimates and copies of preliminary drawings for the parking/landscape layout and fence options at a future meeting so the council and Lions Club can decide whether to pursue grant funding, Alliance support, or use town/impact funds to complete the work.
