Whitefish Bay adopts limits on pickleball at Cody Park, authorizes $18,000 for locked gates

Whitefish Bay’s village board voted to adopt an ordinance limiting pickleball play at Cody Park and approved spending roughly $18,000 to install magnetic gates intended to enforce the new hours.

The board approved Ordinance 1923 — a schedule developed from a neighbors’ counterproposal — on March 2 by a 5–2 vote (Trustee Tara and Trustee Jay recorded as opposed). The ordinance defines a summer season (May 1–Oct. 15) and a more limited winter schedule; the packet and board discussion identified the specific daily windows for each season. After further debate about enforcement, the board authorized a separate motion to use 2025 surplus funds to install magnetic locks on two gates; that motion passed 4–3.

Village Manager Kelsey, who led staff negotiations with players and neighbors, described the months of meetings and mitigation trials that preceded the vote. “We installed sound barriers and hours were reduced slightly…these measures have not resulted in significant improvements for the nearby residents,” she told the board, noting staff readouts that showed roughly a 10‑decibel drop after installing sound curtains. “The goal was to try to bring the sides together and to get to a place that quite honestly no one liked but everybody could at least tolerate.”

Neighbors who spoke during an extensive public‑comment period said the noise from pickleball disrupts sleep and daily life. “Pickleball affects sleep,” said resident Dr. Steve Capus, who described household and upstairs noise that he said persists despite barriers. Other neighbors urged more durable mitigation — a full perimeter barrier, quieter equipment, or moving courts farther from homes.

Players and supporters pushed back, arguing the courts are an important community amenity and that mitigation had already reduced noise to levels comparable to ordinary household appliances. “Our sound read ratings showed 77 dB prior to the installation of the sound curtain, 66 after,” Kelsey said during the meeting. Players also warned that limiting days or hours could fragment the sizeable pick‑up community that has coalesced at Cody Park.

Enforcement emerged as a central concern. Kelsey and the police chief told the board that regular police enforcement would be impractical given staffing constraints; staff recommended magnetic gate locks as a practical means of limiting access outside approved hours, and priced the lock installation at about $18,000. Supporters of the lock said it would provide a reliable control mechanism to ensure the board’s schedule is respected; critics warned that a lock could be tampered with, might restrict tennis and other uses, and would require staff to manage special cases.

Trustees debated alternatives including additional sound curtains, quiet paddles/balls, reservation systems and volunteer court ambassadors. Several speakers urged a short checkback period; managers committed to meeting with stakeholders in roughly two to three months to evaluate compliance and revisit mitigation or enforcement if needed.

The ordinance and the lock funding are the latest steps in a long dispute over compatibility between active recreation at Cody Park and adjacent residential properties. Staff said the ordinance’s timing and the lock installation allow implementation by May 1, with signage and initial CSO (community service officer) reminders during the transition. The board directed staff to return with a progress report after the initial implementation period.