METHUEN, Mass. — A neighborhood in Methuen has been raising concerns about the pickleball courts behind their homes for months, and now one of those neighbors has filed a 30-page lawsuit.
Pickleball has a distinct sound. It’s been described as a sharp, high-pitched, and repetitive “pop.”
When the sport is played indoors, the sound isn’t too troublesome.
However, when those courts are outside, like the ones in Methuen, people who live nearby can end up in a pickle.
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Jerry Fichera has lived in the neighborhood behind the courts at Methuen High School, which used to be tennis courts, for 20 years.
“They were alright. I mean, when you moved here, you knew there were tennis courts back there, so it wasn’t a big deal. That was something you expected, but this has become something different,” Fichera said.
Last year, those tennis courts turned into pickleball courts, and now the noise is causing a bit of a nuisance for Fichera and his neighbors who live directly behind them on Sycamore Road.
“It’s louder than tennis and there’s more people playing the game. It’s a louder environment than it was in the past, not something I’m wild about quite frankly,” Fichera said. “I’d rather they not be there to be honest with you.”
Fichera wrote a letter of support for his neighbor, Stephen Tarquinio, who has been advocating for a solution to the noise, attending numerous city council meetings over the last year.
During an April 7, 2025 city council meeting, Methuen Mayor D.J. Beauregard said, “The city will be regulating times of use and installing signage displaying the courts’ hours of operation in the next week. The city is also installing acoustic dampening sound block wraps. These are made exactly for this type of location. This is a solution to the concerns raised. What’s not a solution, I’ll be up front is stopping residents from playing pickleball.”
Though, according to Targuinio, their homes are elevated above the courts, so the wraps don’t have much impact.
After months of trying to address these concerns with the city, he moved to file a lawsuit in August. It doesn’t seek any punitive damages but rather asks a judge to shut down the courts.
Due to the pending litigation, Tarquinio was unable to conduct a formal interview, though he said this is not “neighbors versus players.”
He explained that he’s in support of the sport but just asks that it be in the right location with proper analysis to make sure it works for the community.
The city of Methuen declined to comment on pending litigation.
A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Sept. 8 in Essex County Superior Court.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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