Pickleball, anyone? The question enlivens Morristown council meeting

There are plenty of hot-button issues these days, and this one ranks low on the vitriol meter.

Still, mention “pickleball” in Morristown and you are sure to stir passionate responses, pro and con.

On Tuesday, the town council heard from both camps, at a meeting where complaints about the annual Verizon 5K race also were aired.

Residents living near Lidgerwood Park thanked the administration for announcing this month that it intends to relocate three noisy pickleball courts.

“Most of last year I couldn’t really spend much time outside because there was so much frequent play and the noise is just grating on the nerves,” said Keith Survell, whose Erskine Drive property is within feet of the courts.

Ardent pickleballers from other parts of town lobbied to keep the courts right where they are. Contending the courts are not very busy, they touted the popular sport’s health and social benefits and downplayed its constant thwacking.

“Noise is just a sound that someone finds offensive. I don’t find the pickleball sound offensive,” said Ed Peters, who resides out of earshot on Washington Street. He said the game hooked him in 2022, at beginners’ lessons the town hosted on Lidgerwood tennis courts.

Peters said the town is flushing tax dollars–more than $132,000 to convert a tennis court and add sound-dampening fences last year –down the toilet, only to spend more later to replace the courts.

“Noise is in the ears of the beholder, and when you live near a park, you gotta expect that,” he insisted.

Amanda Goodwin politely differed. For 13 years, she and her husband, Keith Survell, have not minded the sounds of tennis or baseball or town movie nights or town Easter Egg hunts (next one: April 12) next door at Lidgerwood.

But since pickleball arrived, she said, the couple has had to call town officials to lock the courts because of games and loud music at 6:30 am. On summer evenings, pickleball continues until the sky is pitch black, she added.

Pickleball fan John Williams sought, and received, assurances from Fourth Ward Councilman Chris Russo and Administrator Jillian Barrick that the courts will remain open until new ones are built.

When that will happen remains unclear. Barrick indicated she still is searching for a location remote from residences. Councilman Robert Iannaccone asked for transparency from the administration when a site is found.

“Of course, any major project like this, going forward, would not happen in a vacuum,” Barrick answered. Once details are fleshed out, she said, “there will absolutely be a public discussion. And hopefully, everybody will be happy.”

Acknowledging those on both sides of the figurative pickleball net, Mayor Tim Dougherty advised: “Bear with us. We’ll get it fixed.”

Former Councilman Stefan Armington commended the mayor’s office for addressing pickleball noise. He asked for the same zeal in dealing with noisy landscape contractors, suggesting the town emulate Maplewood by licensing them.

Armington spearheaded a successful referendum last year to restrict leaf blower use to autumn. Hinting at the mayor’s bid for a fifth term this year, Armington said licensing of landscapers would be “a great show of support…for the 1,600 registered voters who supported the referendum.”

IN OTHER BUSINESS

Leaf blowers rival pickleball for arousing conflicting sentiments in Morristown. But Third Ward Councilman Steve Pylypchuk said he fields way more complaints about the Verizon 5k, which he wishes to relocate.

The annual race, returning on July 17, attracts thousands of participants. They start at Morristown High School and loop through the Third Ward around Mills Street, boxing in some residents and leaving a trail of discarded water cups, said Pylypchuk, who runs in the Verizon 5k with his office team. The Democrat also is running for state Assembly.

Moving the race elsewhere in town would relieve the burden on his ward, he said.

Not this year, however. The council approved Verizon’s application for the usual course. For now, Pylypchuk is asking police to send race notices to his whole ward, not just to residents nearest the race route. At least that way, he said, more people can plan to navigate around road closures.

Police got kudos from the mayor for their work during this month’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade weekend. Dougherty said nobody was arrested — a first. In 2011, police wrote 135 tickets, including 88 for drinking in public and 46 for public urination.

Bill Byrne, a resident who advocates statewide for persons with disabilities, warned of devastating consequences for children and the disabled if Elon Musk, the billionaire head of the new Department of Government Efficiency, aims his chainsaw at Medicaid.

The Morristown Parking Authority has authorized use of its leased parking lot at DeHart Street and Maple Avenue for music fests by the Homestead bar on May 3 and June 7, 2025, said Councilman David Silva, liaison to the MPA.

Those dates were approved by the council earlier this year. If all goes smoothly, the Homestead plans to seek permission for outdoor concerts on Sept. 13 and Oct. 4.

From April 1-28, local business owners can vote for candidates running for the Morristown Partnership board, said Pylypchuk, council liaison to the Partnership.