Pickleball association, Cranberry Township addressing noise on pickleball courts
Members of the Cranberry Township Pickleball Association have heard concerns from people who live near the courts in Graham Park about the noise generated by the sport, but officials of the organization said they were working on sound mitigation prior to any complaints.
Bruce Mazzoni, a township supervisor and co-director of Cranberry Township Pickleball Association, said the association hired a consultant who specializes in pickleball sound mitigation to perform a feasibility study on the courts.
“We knew there was a new company out there specializing in pickleball noise, and we wanted to incorporate that,” Mazzoni said. “There is no expansion approved or anything; just trying to be proactive in determining what new technologies are out there and how we can be good neighbors.”
From the standpoint of a township supervisor, Mazzoni said township officials have heard complaints about noise from residents who live near Graham Park and Cranberry Township Community Park.
Some of the points of concern are being addressed, Mazzoni said, although most of the sound doesn’t reach decibel levels that are over ordinance limits.
“Any home near the park, we get complaints about for the swimming pool, baseball,” Mazzoni said. “We want to be a good neighbor. We are looking to do a variety of things to mitigate.”
In February, Cranberry Township supervisors approved a $1.7 million pickleball expansion project — including the purchase an all-weather “air dome” for the court.
The comprehensive expansion project will replace the existing tennis courts at the UPMC Passavant Sportsplex in Graham Park with six new pickleball courts. New tennis courts will then be built over the Sportsplex’s basketball courts, and new basketball courts will replace existing bocce courts.
The pickleball association is an arm of Cranberry Township, according to Mazzoni, but one that is self-sustaining in funding. He said membership dues and fundraisers pay for projects the association embarks on, and that the association brings more good than harm to the area.
“We try to keep people fairly quiet, respectful, and for the most part we have,” Mazzoni said. “Anything we pay for for mitigation it's an arm that doesn't cost the township any money, gives them money, and more importantly it gives thousands of adults entertainment.”
