LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. — The country’s fastest growing sport in the country, pickleball is not becoming a favorite for some Lake Oswego residents. A proposal to put in six pickleball courts at a local park has many residents upset, primarily over the noise from the paddles and interestingly how could impact firefighters.
It’s the high-pitched sound of pickleball that has residents in such an uproar who live near West Lake Park. The constant sound of the paddle hitting the wiffle ball is the reason why the pickleball courts at George Rogers Park closed earlier this year, and its why residents near the park are against the courts moving into their neighborhood.
"The issue is the closeness of the houses within 350 feet of these pickleball courts. There are 27 housed in this neighborhood — in George Rogers there were 16,” said Lake Oswego resident David Wiszneauckas.
But some residents are in favor of the courts coming into their neighborhood.
“If we lose these places, if we say we don’t want noise, then we’re not using them as a way we set them up as a community,” said longtime Lake Oswego resident Heidi Kojiro.
What has many residents concerned, they say, is the noise for firefighters who sleep at the station. That’s because the fire station is within 90 feet of the proposed courts and the constant sound can be intrusive.
Station 210, which sits in the entrance to West Lake Park, is the busiest fire station in Lake Oswego. However, Lake Oswego Fire Marshal Gert Zoutendijk says they are working with the city.
“If there’s any issues we definitely pass those onto the city and we work with them with any potential problems,” said Zoutendijk.
A spokesperson with the Parks and Recreation Department said that this is only one potential site, but they say West Lake is ideal because there are already tennis courts in place that could be converted into pickleball courts. They said they are in the process of doing studies for noise, traffic and parking.