The City of Martinez council members voted to close several pickleball courts following complaints by homeowners of the courts being too loud. Wednesday, the city council decided to close down the Hidden Valley Sports pickleball courts. The courts opened last February at a cost of $1.7 million, m ostly paid for with federal funding. Shortly after its opening, the city received complaints from neighbors about players being too loud and large crowds causing parking issues. The Hidden Valley Sports pickleball courts in Martinez attracted large crowds. For some neighbors, this created community; for others, this was a nuisance. In a city survey, 41% of those who responded said the courts were negatively impacting their sleep; some of them expressed their concerns at Wednesday’s meeting. Before voting to close down the courts, the mayor and city council members apologized to residents for the noise issues over the past year. They expressed regret over the information given to them by consultants prior to building the courts, which did not anticipate those noise issues nor how big of a draw the pickleball courts would be to those outside the city. “My lesson’s learned from this entire ordeal is I have to do a better job of questioning the professionals who give us guidance,” Mayor Brianne Zorn said. The courts will be shut down immediately with the nets being removed on Thursday. The city will consider other locations for pickleball courts at a later date. ...read more read less