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Mount Pleasant business owner urges city action after net fell at Simmons Field, causing damage
Summary
Tom Speronis told the Kenosha Common Council that a protective net at Simmons Field fell earlier this year, damaging employee vehicles and nearly injuring a family member; he said the net had protected his property for 34 years and asked the council to intervene.
Tom Speronis, owner of Tommy’s Home Run restaurant at 7839 Sheridan Road, told the Kenosha Common Council during public comment that a protective net at nearby Simmons Field fell early last year and has not been restored, leaving his employees’ cars and customers at risk.
Speronis said the net’s failure has resulted in at least seven broken windshields among his employees, including one incident he described as totaling an employee’s car. He said his daughter nearly was struck when a ball entered the restaurant between the door and an armrest.
"A ball came between her and the arm of the door and almost hit her in the head," Speronis said. He told council members he has called and written multiple parties and been told replacement bids are being sought, but the net remains down. He said the net had been in place for 34 years before the recent failure.
Speronis said he believes the city owns the park where Simmons Field is located, and that city officials have told him the city is not responsible for reinstalling the net. He asked the council to "please be a good neighbor" and to put the two poles back and stretch the existing net, saying the work should be straightforward.
No council motion or staff response to Speronis’s comments was recorded in the meeting minutes. The transcript contains his public comment, the address he provided for the record and the details he attributed to property damage and the net’s history. Speronis also said he had offered to leave balls for the owner of the Kingfish, indicating personal interactions about the incidents but no formal remediation had been reported in the meeting.
The transcript does not record whether the city will follow up with park maintenance, the stadium owner/operator, or the property owner adjacent to the ballpark. Speronis said he had contacted multiple parties and received only that bids were being sought; the record does not identify which entity (club, team, city department or stadium operator) is responsible for replacement or financing of the net.
Speronis concluded by asking the council to act and thanking members for listening.
