ESTERO, Fla. – A 55 and older community in Estero is getting a new pickleball court, but because of complaints about the noise the game makes, it comes with some conditions.
The Riverwoods Plantation on Broadway in the Village has to follow some rules set by the Village of Estero when they get their new court.
“I’m 68, so I’m out there doing stuff all the time, just trying to stay fit, stay active,” said Ron Locascio, a resident of Riverwoods Plantation, a place where Pickleball is more than just a pastime.
“Pickleball, there are some aggressive players, it’s fun. I just like it, you know?” he said.
It’s so popular that recently, the community voted 85 percent in favor of building a new court for Pickleball, but not everyone in the neighborhood was happy about it.
“The noise! The noise factor, the sound of the whiffle ball and the paddles, it became a noise factor so much so that its now become a factor if you can build a court, which is why we had to go through all this with Estero.” said Patty Phelan, the Condo Association Manager for Riverwoods.
Phelan explained that because of a minimal amount of complaints, the community has to build a sound barrier if the noise rises above a specific level.
“If push comes to shove, and it really gets bad, then we’ll have to install said sound barrier,” she said.
Players are also not allowed to start until 7:30 am and must stop at dusk.
“Because we wanted it to pass, and there is such a need for it that we did, we made the concessions to make sure it did go through. That’s how much need there is for a pickleball court,” she said.
The new court is expected to break ground in September.
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