BOISE BENCH, Idaho — Players at two popular Boise pickleball courts are no longer able to use their paddles after the city reached a settlement with West Boise neighbors who complained about noise levels.
The courts at Willow Lane Park now sit quiet following the city's decision to close them due to ongoing neighborhood concerns about the constant popping sounds emanating from regular pickleball games.
"We heard it during Christmas dinner, we hear it on Sunday mornings when we're still in bed, it wakes us up," said Kathleen Romito, who filed a lawsuit against the City of Boise over the Willow Lane pickleball courts back in February.
The city also closed courts at Manitou Park on the Boise Bench following similar neighborhood concerns.
RELATED | Twin Falls plans to expand pickleball courts at Harmon Park as sport's popularity continues to grow
Not all neighbors agreed with the closures. Jessie Alexander-Stern, who lives next to another court, said she enjoys hearing activity.
"I'm happy to hear kids out there playing as long as it's before 10 o'clock," Alexander-Stern said.
WATCH: How loud is pickleball really? We put it to the test
Kyle Trenga said he was one of the last people to play on the court. He played his final game at Manitou Park on Saturday until he was kicked off the courts.
"I'm just sad that you shut down two of the most popular courts that a lot of senior citizens play at that have fixed income, and they don't have the ability to go to some of these nice indoor facilities we have like the Flying Pickle," Trenga said.
Trenga said he found community on the courts.
"You come down and you put your paddle up on the fence and you're welcomed in, they teach you how to play the game," he said.
But Romito argued the sound was affecting her family.
"Our health started to deteriorate because of the noise. Across the country, there are hundreds of people reporting similar responses to being exposed to the chronic popping noise inside their house that they can't escape," Romito said.
Pickleball noise usually hovers around 70 decibels. Testing at Shoshone Park courts showed levels climbing to around 77 decibels during active play, which experts say is not considered a harmful level for one's ears, but is definitely noticeable.
The settlement included a $7,000 payment to the plaintiffs and a plan to convert the courts back to tennis-only.
The courts at Willow Lane Park were converted from tennis to pickleball courts in 2018.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
