Chicago Cubs: Rough winter delaying Wrigley Field renovations

Mother Nature must not be a Chicago Cubs fan.

Due to the continued rough and cold weather this winter – the completion of the overhaul of Wrigley Field’s famous bleachers is being delayed yet again.

As reported on ESPN Chicago, the cold weather is expected to delay the construction further – pushing the opening of the right field bleachers back to mid-June. As of right now, that would put the right field seats about a month behind the scheduled completion date for the left and center field bleachers.

Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney told members of the media that construction and work will be an ongoing aspect of life at the Friendly Confines in 2015 – despite what fans may be hoping for.

“Throughout the season, you will see a lot of work going on,” Kenney said. “And you’ll see these pardon our dust signs. .. It’s going to be dusty and dirty this year.”

Considering the amount of snow and cold weather that has hit the country this winter – it comes as no surprise that there have been delays.

With all construction projects – problems arise, both expected and unforeseen. Due to the frigid temperatures hitting the city – the construction workers have missed several days now meaning that overtime would be needed to try to get the work done near the scheduled due date.

Kenney said the team is going to be asking the city of Chicago for permission for the overtime request. It will, however add to the price tag for the team’s ownership group – led by Tom Ricketts. The project initially had a price tag in the half-a-billion dollar range, but that figure could move higher as delays and lawsuit delays continue to mount.

“It’ll be overtime, which is good for the steelworkers, not so good for us. But we’d like to pick up that time.”

While these improvements have been needed for some time – it seems that this remodeling has caused a lot more problems than initially expected. With the added traffic congestion and overall noise that accompanies all construction projects, the Chicago Tribune reported other issues that could be tied to the work – including a rise in the number of rats in the Wrigleyville neighborhood.

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With the adding traffic and noise that comes naturally with all construction – there have been a number of other problems.  The Chicago Tribune has reported that a number of residents near Wrigley Field have been complaining about the growing number of rats invading the neighborhood.

Can you blame Wrigley Field for that?

Maybe. Well, if you ask Ozzie Guillen, the answer would be yes.  Of course, there is the ongoing battle between the Cubs and several of the Wrigleyville rooftops and the constant dark cloud of potential lawsuits that could halt the renovation work in its tracks.

While the city has limits on the hours that construction crews can work – there is hope that Kenney can convince the city to allow the workers to work non-stop hours for the next few weeks.  But again, that is if the weather cooperates with the crew and the project.

For more than one reason, we’re once again saying: “Spring cannot get here fast enough.”