Letter to the Editor: We stand against pickleball project

In October of residents of Morgan Road were surprised to receive a letter from one of our Tucker District representatives informing us of an upcoming vote to award a construction contract for a -court pickleball complex at the Tucker Recreation Center For our neighborhood this was the first we had heard of a major facility being proposed less than feet from two homes under feet from and within feet of seven others Meanwhile a very vocal group of pickleball proponents Tucker residents and nonresidents alike along with the mayor city council excluding one member and the parks and recreation director had been aware of the project since Councilmember Alexis Weaver s letter left various on Morgan Road and nearby residents on Chamblee-Tucker and LaVista Roads asking What even is pickleball For others more familiar with the sport especially its uniquely intrusive popping sounds alarm bells rang forthwith We responded by organizing We educated ourselves about the sport its rapid rise in popularity and its real medical and area benefits But we also uncovered substantial well-documented concerns about noise when pickleball courts are built too close to homes To better understand the possible impact we hired nationally recognized pickleball acoustics expert Charles Leahy to assess the project s implications His findings submitted to the mayor and council approved what various other communities have already discovered even with mitigation measures pickleball noise cannot be effectively managed when courts are less than feet from homes For homes within feet like countless on Morgan Road there is no viable outdoor mitigation Tucker is proposing outdoor courts That s sources of constant noise for households families whose daily lives stand to be permanently disrupted if this project moves forward We have appealed to our elected officers through email inhabitants comments and area meetings consistently seeking fact-based arguments despite the anxiety and frustration this project has brought to our lives Unfortunately specific members of the pickleball society have responded not with dialogue but with personal attacks calling us liars dismissing our mental fitness and belittling our homes Yet from multiple others including pickleball players themselves we have received help and compassion One especially meaningful example came in a letter sent to the mayor and council from Heisman trophy winner and avid pickleball sportsman Danny Wuerffel In April he urged city leaders to go the extra mile in listening to local residents pay special attention to their reports on the feasible devastating effects of the noise and after careful consideration of all the information make the best decision doable for the city of Tucker Despite our efforts on June the city council voted to move the project forward to the request for proposal RFP stage bids which would greater part likely be much higher than the original million dollar price tag We are grateful to Council members Weaver Trocchi and Rece for voting no and asking the city to pause and conduct more due diligence We also remain encouraged by the growing number of Tucker residents those with no direct stake in the location who recognize the flaws in this plan and have stepped forward in solidarity So why do we persist Why do we continue to dedicate our time and money to opposing this project The answer is simple we care deeply about our quality of life our property values and the wellbeing of our neighbors Consider this a -year-old resident of our neighborhood has lived in her home since She lives with her daughter and granddaughter and their home is less than feet from the proposed courts fully exposed with no berm or substantial vegetation At that distance noise obstructions are known to be ineffective for this multigenerational family living with the constant staccato popping of pickleball for up to hours a day seven days a week days a year would be unbearable This is why we stand united in opposition to this project If the City of Tucker chooses to move forward it will do so fully aware of the human cost and in full possession of the facts Respectfully Rebecca Gross Morgan Road resident Nancy Kalvedge Morgan Road resident Lisa Kalvedge Morgan Road resident Kelley Kalvedge Morgan Road resident Melanie Selent Morgan Road resident Greg Morse Morgan Road homeowner Ed Pucko III Tucker resident Debbie Wallace Chamblee-Tucker Road resident Sheila Daniel Morgan Road resident Debbie Reeves Morgan Road resident Trish England Tucker resident Steve Humfleet Tucker resident Tina O Kelley Morgan Road resident John O Kelley Morgan Road resident Meg Thomas Tucker resident Andrew Gladu Morgan Road resident Dr Seng Lou Morgan Road resident Kevin Anderle Morgan Road resident Debbie Reeves Morgan Road resident Katie Troutman Morgan Road resident Maurice Garland Tucker resident everyday Morgan Road user Heather Hale Morgan Road resident Anna Yousef Morgan Road resident Dr Megan Neyer Northlake Creek resident Elizabeth McDowell Morgan Road resident Patty Jervey Morgan Road resident The post Letter to the Editor We stand against pickleball project appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta