MURRAY – At least 70 people attended Thursday’s monthly Murray City Council meeting in opposition to plans to build a pickleball facility in Chestnut Park, mostly citing concerns about noise pollution in the neighborhood.
With every seat filled and many members of the public standing in the back of the room, North Seventh Street resident Sue Hood was given 10 minutes to speak for the group. Murray Pickleball Association President Tim Thurmond was given the same amount of time to respond, followed by questions from council members.
Hood started by detailing what she had learned from an open records request on the meetings that led to the city Park Committee’s decision to give the MPA the go-ahead to raise money to build a facility at Field 7 in Chestnut Park. She said she and other neighborhood residents were unaware of the plans until May 2023, when the MPA and Park Committee members held a ceremony at the park to make the official announcement. The residents have recently been circulating a petition to move the planned location for the facility.
“We want to be clear; we are absolutely not opposed to pickleball at all, just the location,” Hood said. “We would love this complex to be built for our community in a location that best serves the needs of the players and the community. Chestnut Park is not that location. Most of Murray learned that this was happening when signs went up on the ball field fence in May of ’23. Many of us have heard that communities across the country have been plagued with problems when courts are placed too near homes. Additional research has shown just how detrimental pickleball noise can be. I contacted the city with concerns and to get more information, and was directed to Tim Thurmond and the Park (Committee). I spoke with both without a real response to the concerns. A group of us were turned away and denied the ability to speak at the February Park (Committee) meeting.”
Thurmond said the MPA’s plans have not been hidden from the public, but he had been hearing “rampant” rumors about the plans and he wanted to provide facts. He said the MPA discussed noise mitigation in its first meeting, and the members were open to suggestions from anyone at all.
“As I said, we want to be a good neighbor,” Thurmond said. “We started in our very first meeting, the first thing we approached was, ‘What can we do for noise?’ Unfortunately, no one has come to us to ask us or help give ideas (for) ‘What can you do to help reduce this noise?’ We have already been on this; we’re moving and going forward on it to help reduce the only real concern (which) is noise. We are there; we are fighting for our community to reduce and mitigate the level of noise.”
Thurmond said the MPA wants to develop a grassy berm on the east side of the field, which he said would be a noise reducer.
“On top of that grassy berm, we want to build a beautiful wall of landscaping that will help inhibit (and) reduce the amount of noise that can come,” he said. “Also, don’t forget the adult trees that will be sitting above that, so we’ll have a wall of nature that will help reduce the amount of noise that can come from that. We want to be good neighbors; remember that. Also, we’re willing to spend extra money. For those that don’t know, there’s a thing called a windscreen that will help reduce the wind coming through. You can purchase these special windscreens that have impregnations of noise reduction.”
Mayor Bob Rogers said he and the council would carefully consider the concerns that had been brought up, and he believed they could reach a compromise.
“I’ve been inundated with articles to read about pickleball and what’s going on across the country, and I’ve been reading those articles,” Rogers said. “It appears that if proper planning does not take place before final decisions are made, that tensions have been elevated and controversies take place. We want to avoid that. Some of you have heard me say in the past, when you make a decision, you need to be able to look around the corner and see what’s coming. That’s what we’ve got to do. We’ve got to anticipate when a decision is made what we’re going to deal with.”
Rogers cited an engineer specializing in acoustic consulting who said noise abatement should be discussed before construction begins. Rogers said many pickleball courts have been placed on top of tennis courts in different communities, which has caused problems.
“This particular facility is something that right now is on paper,” Rogers continued. “It’s an idea, it’s the dream of this association, but right now, it’s just a drawing on a piece of paper. I have no doubt that the pickleball group’s sole intent was and continues to be to build a facility where folks can go and play this sport, and that placing it in the park would enhance the park for our citizens to enjoy.
“I also have no doubt that those who oppose this project at this site are sincere in their concern. The council has heard your presentations. They will give everything you said serious consideration, and I believe that Murrayans will arrive at a consensus. I’ve witnessed several controversies in our community the past 20 years – between the school districts, the payroll tax, the library. They were all settled. Perhaps not to everyone’s preference, but nevertheless, they were settled. This one will be settled also. We will not bring this back before the council until we feel that we have an agreement (and have) reached consensus.”
• The council approved recommendations from the Park Committee to accept design plans for a new concession stand at the 4-Plex in Central Park and a five-year concessions beverage contract with Pepsi Co.
• The council voted to accept a $25,000 bid for surplus property on KY 94 West.
• The council passed a resolution increasing the amount of additional taxable industrial building revenue bonds from $20 million to $25 million for the Kroger Company’s expansion of Kenlake Foods. This is to help the company finance additional equipment as the operation expands, City Attorney Warren Hopkins said.
• The council passed a resolution identifying roadways currently in the city road system and other roadways that are not part of the system.
• The council heard the first reading of an ordinance updating business classifications for license tax requirements.
• The council heard the first reading of an ordinance updating the city’s noise ordinance to trigger enforcement of a ban of habitually loud animals after one or more complaints to Calloway County’s animal control officer. The ordinance currently requires three complaints.
• The council approved the appointment of Alisa Walls to the Murray-Calloway County Transit Authority for a four-year term expiring March 14, 2028, and the reappointment of Carmen Garland to the Board of Zoning Adjustments for a four-year term expiring April 13, 2028.
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