What Kind of Study?
- A Feasibility Study focuses on whether the project can be done and is practical.
- An Impact Assessment focuses on what will happen if the project is done, analyzing its consequences on people, the environment, and society.
Both should be used together for a comprehensive project evaluation. Essentially it is apparently feasible to place something onto the land - but if you do it - what happens then? It is imperative to do an Impact Assessment to make sure these issues are addressed before 'the horse is out of the barn'.
Back to feasibility though - with 500+ feet from residences being the guideline that most sound mitigation specialists agree upon - is it really feasible for us to position this on the Aquarina property as proposed? As you can see from the plan image I included in the header 500 feet from center of the proposed courts encompasses all of Blue Heron. That is NOT ACCEPTABLE.
- Building 1 is within 120 feet / 40 yards.
- Buildings 1/2/5 are encompassed completely between 300-400 feet.
- Building 3/4 at 500 feet and,
- at which point Egret Trace and Spoonbill residences and the first homes along Sandpiper Cove are also included in the 500 foot radius.
Our boards make decisions that are for the entire community. Not for the convenience of a few. Not for the irreparable harm of any.
Premature or Just in Time?
I created this petition a few days ago, before a board meeting where it is finally going to be made public - which is tomorrow. The petition urges further an Impact Asseessment be performed BEFORE it gets put in the budget.
Yesterday I spoke on the phone multiple times with people who clearly have been working on this project for at least TWO MONTHS and yet told me it was 'premature to post my petition on the premises' bulletin board in the breezeway.
Meanwhile there is a rallying of the troops going on to show support for this project, via text messages sent out yesterday afternoon.
I have always supported our board members and volunteer community. I know each of these peope personally. These are our neighbors and friends. We are calling for thoughtful consideration of impact. Heck, my husband LOVES pickleball - but he agrees with me that our neighbors shouldn't bear the brunt of the rush to add this amenity without addressing the apparent issues. And it may just be that the only way to address them is to create an indoor space for it. Here's a wild hair - perhaps we could enclose Tennis Court 1, which has no outdoor lighting anyway and make a space for two pickleball courts there. Again - not against pickleball. Just needs more consideration. And now the tennis people will be in an uproar - but just imagine if I was proposing a plan that impacted YOUR ACTUAL HOME. Love you all - let's dig deep.
It appears ASCA and AGI are in lock step - and I'm being told a petition is improper to post when the draft budget already includes this project. We need this petition as well as support at the ASCA board meeting reviewing the 2025 budget, because according to my sources:
- An application form for use of reserves for the 2025 budget has been filed, listing three vendors
- Quotes from those three vendors have been obtained; none of which have mentioned noise or sound mitigation as part of their quotation.
- Placement of 2-3 courts is shown with a setback of less than 110+ feet of residences - which with any modicum of review of the myriad of lawsuits and complaints surrounding pickleballs and HOAs, is ludicrous as 500+ feet is generally listed, with 1000 feet preferred.
This proposed site:
- clearly has both a financial and quality of life impact to our residents
- will impact the enjoyment of the community center, tennis courts and golf course,
- will likely increase insurance liability
- will require maintenance
- comes out of reserves which could be used towards a community pool, which is already in the PUD.
I will be on the Zoom call of course - but I will not be there in person. Will you?
More About Noise for those Interested
Remember that video from yesterday? Well here's a new one - I duplicated the audio tracks and moved the tracks to simulate THREE courts. Oooof. Or should I say TOCK!
Although noise levels vary, the average pickleball sound ranks at about 70 dBA. A-weighted decibel measures the relative loudness of sounds perceived by the human ear. A-weighting is the standard for determining noise pollution and hearing damage. It gives more value to the frequencies the sound produces.
The city of Centennial, Colorado created regulations that establish that permanent outdoor courts can create no more than 47 decibels at the nearest residential property line. That's 500 feet according to research - but still doesn't address the high frequency problem.
As far as frequencies go, people can hear between 20 hertz (Hz) and 20 kilohertz (kHz). They are more sensitive to frequencies in the 250-5,000 Hz range. Noise from a pickleball court can range from 1,000 to 2,000 Hz, close to the most sensitive frequency range. This frequency can also be heard from farther distances.
It is recommended to build courts at least 500 feet from any bordering residences. Noise decreases to about 58 dBa 400 feet from a court. The orientation of courts also makes a difference as more noise travels from the end of the pickleball courts compared to the sides.
More links
https://productiveparks.com/solutions-noisy-pickleball-courts
https://www.centennialco.gov/Government/City-Projects-and-Initiatives/Pickleball