By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — The city is hiring a professional to provide an opinion on the noise levels at the pickleball courts at Kelly Park.

The contract with Pickleball Sound Mitigation Consulting LLC is for $1,100 for pickleball sound assessment report with recommendations, with the report delivered four to five weeks after authorization date. There’s another potential fee of $250 per hour for “report revisions, requiring research” listed in a copy of the proposal.

In September, a resident near Kelly Park went to the Warsaw Parks and Recreation Board meeting to complain about the sound coming from the pickleball courts, saying it was affecting her quality of life. At the October meeting, the board heard from parks staff that decibel levels from the Kelly Park pickleball paly didn’t measure high. At the November meeting, the woman returned and said it wasn’t the volume of the sound that bothered her, but its repetitiveness. At the parks board’s February meeting, they approved paying Dale Van Scoyk with PSM to provide guidance on reducing sound from pickleball play there.

Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department Superintendent Larry Plummer presented the proposal from PSM to the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety on Friday, March 1.

“This proposal would help us provide an objective analysis and recommendations regarding the pickelball sound at Kelly Park courts. The proposal will give us a professional opinion as to the need, if any, and the steps, if any, are needed for sound mitigation at the courts,” he said.

The contract also was ran through the parks board, who reviewed and approved the proposal, Plummer stated.

Mayor Jeff Grose said he appreciated Plummer’s efforts “with this resident and other residents, the realities of pickleball and what you have to do.” He said Plummer took him out to Kelly Park earlier in the week. “Just appreciate your efforts and the board trying to look in the direction of the neighborhood as you provide all of these excellent opportunities for recreation.”

Councilwoman and board member Diane Quance said having sat for several months through the issue when she was on the parks board, “I think this is a really good idea to get professional input and then we’ll have that documented legally for doing what needs to be done.”

Board member George Clemens said it sounded like they were doing their due diligence. He made a motion to approve the proposal, Quance seconded it and the motion passed 3-0.

In other business, the board approved:

• Pay application No. 7 for $2,025.56 from Troyer Group for construction inspection services for the Lincoln neighborhood sidewalk project, as requested by City Planner Justin Taylor.

He said the project will begin early April and finished up in late May or early June.

“So we’re real excited to get this sidewalk project underway. We’re going to try to send out some press releases just to prepare the neighborhood for the potential disturbances and things that may occur as we get into construction,” he said, adding that they’re doing the project for the kids walking to school.

Quance suggested that any notices that went out to the neighborhood also should be sent to Lincoln Elementary School so they’re aware of what is going on.

• Pay application No. 39 for $2,601 out of the Economic Development Income Tax fund for engineering services from American Structurepoint for the Anchorage Road Project, as requested by Community and Economic Development Director Jeremy Skinner. It is an 80/20 Indiana Department of Transportation-funded project, meaning the city will pay 20% throughout the project and be reimbursed 80% for each phase.

• An $18,600 amendment to a contract with Wessler Engineering for construction oversight on the Park Avenue storm sewer improvement project, as requested by Stormwater Utility Superintendent Brian Davison.

He said the project has been out to bid, the bid from G & G Hauling & Excavating was accepted but they don’t have a contract yet for it.

• A change order from Inliner Solutions LLC for the completed sanitary sewer and stormwater rehabilitation project for a deduction of $1,050, as requested by Davison.

A pay application from Inliner Solutions LLC for the completed work on the project totaling $350,888.20, which includes the change order, also was approved.

• A contract with Romeo Touring LLC for $4,500 for the Hubie Ashcraft Band to perform as part of the Summer Concert Series on Aug. 16 at the Glover Pavilion, as requested by Warsaw Recreation Director Stephanie Schaefer. The concert will be 7 to 8:30 p.m. The funds are budgeted.

• A sixth taxicab permit for L & L Taxi, Warsaw, as recommended by Warsaw Police Department Deputy Chief Bryan Sherwin. He said the vehicle would have originally gone through when they did the first five, but the vehicle had some damage to it that needed to be repaired to make it safe. The vehicle has since been repaired and inspected by the police mechanic and passed the inspection.

Sherwin also said the people who will be driving it have valid driver’s licenses and the registration and insurance also are current.

“This will be number six for them of 15 that the city grants,” Sherwin stated.