Mashpee board takes no vote as pickleball ball rule advances

Select Board · Meeting of July 29, 2026

Mashpee Select Board hears dueling testimony on a pickleball noise rule as the town manager cites litigation risk. Town Manager Rodney C. Collins said 16 residents, not just longtime complainant Ernie Barrows, have flagged noise from the town's eight outdoor courts, and that a mandated quiet ball taking effect August 1 was meant to avert a nuisance lawsuit.

Resident Betsy Pratt countered, "Should one person's objection outweigh the overwhelming public benefit these courts provide to hundreds of people?" Mashpee resident Marie Chung Truslow asked for a 90-day stay, but the board took no vote since court operations fall under Collins's authority. Separately, the board and Planning Board jointly and unanimously appointed Teresa Ronhock as Planning Board associate member, certified the hiring of firefighter-EMTs Gabriel Tellez and Joshua Vinitsky, and ratified a contract for incoming Deputy Police Chief Thomas Rose.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,394 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of July 29, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.