Two towns, two noise answers: Brownsburg builds a $128,500 fix while Calimesa keeps late hours

Two American towns settled their latest round of pickleball noise conflict this week, and they reached for different tools. In Brownsburg, Indiana, parks officials are pushing forward with a sound-mitigation build estimated at about 128,500 dollars at the Stephens Park courts. In Calimesa, California, the city council voted unanimously to make long court hours permanent while shutting the lights off 30 minutes before the park gates close.

Brownsburg: the hardware route

Brownsburg Parks Director Amber Lane told the town council on October 8 that resurfacing at Stephens Park is complete and new fencing is being installed, Current Publishing reported October 20. The department is working with Security Pros to install an automated access-management system before moving forward with the sound-mitigation measures, and it is reviewing contractor options after receiving offers at lower prices, with parks staff checking references before placing an order. Council members backed the extra research, saying it was important to investigate potential savings even if doing so delayed the project.

The plan Lane outlined in June carries an estimate of about 128,500 dollars: sound-dampening material built into a new 10-foot fence, an automated gate system restricting access outside operating hours, and Arrowwood viburnum shrubs intended to provide an additional natural sound buffer as they mature. The courts opened in 2021 and have grown steadily busier, and the work follows months of complaints from nearby residents. The project was not included in the parks department's 2026 budget; Lane has said she will work with the town controller's office to identify reserve funding.

Lane also offered players a pressure valve: indoor pickleball at Harris Academy during October open-gym sessions, giving the town's players somewhere to go as temperatures drop. No completion date for the remaining work has been announced.

Calimesa: the clock route

Calimesa's Mountainview Park courts draw players from early morning through late evening, and on Monday the city council voted unanimously to make the 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. operating hours permanent, the News Mirror reported. The one change: court lights now shut off at 9:30 p.m., giving players half an hour to finish up and clear the park before the gates close at 10.

The council heard from Candy Sweet, who lives on the south side of the courts and asked for shorter hours. "I'm having trouble with the nights, in particular the weekends. We've had beer cans, bottles thrown in our yard. The noise gets loud," she told the council, suggesting a 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. window with possible extended summer hours. "This is a residential district and it's really hard when the pickle ball court's 50 feet from my couch."

The council declined to cut hours, weighing the request against restricting access to what members described as a heavily used public facility. Councilmember Eric Cundieff said residents could contact the Sheriff's Department when problems such as parties or alcohol occur, and noted he had noticed how heavily the courts are used since hours expanded. Mayor Pro Tem John Manly agreed the resident's proximity to the courts makes her more vulnerable to the impacts, suggested the city examine whether the wall between the park and neighboring property could be strengthened or modified, but stopped short of recommending shorter hours, noting the courts appear to be serving their intended purpose.

The lights-off compromise has a practical origin. When the city expanded court hours to match park hours, staff programmed the lights off at 9:45 p.m. and then responded to nine after-hours callouts involving people still inside when the automatic gates closed. Each callout costs 2.5 hours of paid overtime, 22.5 hours total, City Manager Will Kolbow told the council, because the gates cannot be reopened from inside the park and public works staff have to come out. Mayor Jeff Cervantez framed the 9:30 cutoff as the transition fix: slightly later than the 9 p.m. the resident recommended, but early enough to let cars exit before the gates shut at 10. Permanent signs reflecting the hours are coming, and Kolbow said staff could keep working with the resident on her concerns.

Two philosophies, one direction

Brownsburg is spending capital to change the sound itself; Calimesa is keeping full access and managing the edges, behavior complaints routed to law enforcement, a hard lighting cutoff, maybe a better wall. The common thread matters more than the difference: neither council seriously entertained closure or major hour cuts. Noise policy in 2026 is increasingly about engineering and scheduling, not restriction.

What to watch

In Brownsburg, the contractor choice and final price against the 128,500-dollar estimate, and whether fence, gate and shrubs measurably reduce complaints. In Calimesa, whether the 9:30 lights-off actually eliminates the overtime callouts, and whether the wall modification returns to a future agenda. Both towns will be cited in other cities' hearings; that is how these precedents travel.

Sources

• Current Publishing - Brownsburg advances noise-reduction work at Stephens Park pickleball courts
• Yucaipa Calimesa News Mirror - Calimesa pickleball courts stay open as neighbors seek relief

Sources checked 20 Oct 2026. Header image is illustrative, not a photo of the events described.