Proposed GHYC Pickleball Courts "Threaten Small Friends Serenity"

To the editor: This past fall, Great Harbor Yacht Club (GHYC) completed its $2.7 million purchase of the rear lot at 19 Nobadeer Farm Road directly behind Small Friends, one of the island's only licensed daycare centers for children aged 3 months to 5 years old. Small Friends, open all year-round and a not for-profit, has a distinct mission to provide the island's working families, including many firefighters, police officers and teachers, a safe, quiet setting for early childhood development.

Over the past few months, GHYC has unveiled plans to install 4 pickleball courts and one tennis court within 75 feet of the school and its playgrounds. For those who haven't played or been around a pickleball court, it is one of the loudest games that can be played, even before taking into account the sneaker screeching on the hard surface and loud cheers from each point won and lost. A typical Pickleball court produces a sound frequency of 1000 hz more than double that of tennis. The loud popping sound has become such a nuisance in other communities that it has been banned or play hours reduced in Falmouth, Wellesley, and Chilmark.

As a former Small Friends parent, I have a few important concerns about the existential threat these courts pose for the daily operations of the school. I worry about how children can play outside daily with this constant noise pollution, not to mention how this high pitch sound will affect much needed nap time. To that end, GHYC has not commissioned a third-party acoustic impact study, likely knowing that the results might suggest placing pickleball courts next to a daycare may not be a good idea for the kids. With neighbors like that, who needs enemies?

I worry about the future impact of having a couple hundred incremental people passing through sensitive areas each day to access these courts. The club simply does not have enough parking to accommodate this increased flow. We also worry about the security and safety of our children with more members and guests walking within feet of the school with no security protocol. Currently, there is a shared driveway easement to provide access to these courts shared by the school and GHYC. Although GHYC access is supposed to be "limited" during the summer season, one might wonder if a fast driving member trying to make their court time might ignore this suggestion creating an immeasurable safety and parking concern.

The Nantucket Planning Board is in the midst of considering a zoning exemption for these courts. GHYC has not been a great neighbor and insists everything will be just fine, with a few more trees, a fence, and a fabric sound barrier. As a concession, GHYC offer their facilities for public-use in the off-season, which is lovely gesture but one that has little application to the Small Friends population.

My worries run deeper. Nantucket is a community that has banned gas leaf blowers due to sound pollution. Should pickleball courts be next? Maybe, maybe not, but certainly placing four pickleball courts within 75 feet of a daycare doesn't seem like a good idea to me.

Should the pickleball courts get approved, I worry about how we could ever even remedy a noise complaint? The same club that complains about the noise from our children playing during the day will certainly have no desire to negotiate or curtail playing hours during the summer season to please its privileged membership.

Simply put, our children can't protect themselves and so we as a community need to step in to foster quiet and safe places for them to learn. If we don't, Nantucket won't be a sustainable place for families to grow and thrive for much longer.

Matthew Tara