IRON MOUNTAIN — Despite noise complaints from a couple of neighbors, Iron Mountain City Council won’t restrict hours for pickleball at the Stanton Street courts.

City Manager Jordan Stanchina had floated the idea of limiting play to the hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., but about 20 enthusiasts of the sport attended Monday’s council meeting to object.

“We’ll try to mitigate (the noise) somehow,” Mayor Dale Alessandrini said after the council heard 40 minutes of public comment.

Roxanne Hudson, who lives on Blaine Street next to the courts, said she and her husband “just want to move.” Paddle and ball noise from the courts goes on “hour after hour” and “just drives you nuts,” she told the council.

The problem isn’t unique to Iron Mountain, as pickleball noise has become an issue in a number of other cities, particularly when former tennis courts are converted.

The four courts at 830 Stanton St. were completed in August 2019 after the city received a $52,000 donation from the Henry Family Foundation to replace deteriorated tennis courts.

“Every recreational activity has noise,” council member Bill Revord said during the council’s discussion. He said it would be “a slippery slope” for the council to single out pickleball for restrictions.

“Let them play, but do something about the noise,” Hudson pleaded.

The city has already installed 6-foot fencing, but additional acoustic measures will be considered. Some landscaping remains to be done, though it could take years for those benefits to be realized.

Scott McLure, representing a local group of players, said they will do what they can to help. That will include encouraging the use of quieter paddles, he said.

The objection to a 6 p.m. curfew, McLure said, is that it doesn’t allow “a reasonable amount of time for working people to be able to play.” The courts at Stanton Street are top quality, he added, which contributes to their popularity.

Alessandrini said there are about 10 homes in the neighborhood of the courts, with two so far raising noise complaints.