Wrigley Field's New Neighbors: Rats
By Parker Molloy in News on Jan 31, 2015 9:00PM
As the controversial Wrigley Field renovations rage on, some area residents are reporting that in addition to the sounds, smells and sites of construction, there’s a new and unwelcome byproduct of these changes: rats. Lots and lots of rats.
“The rats have been running rampant. I’m not kidding you,” Wrigleyville resident Terie Kata told the Chicago Tribune. “There are people in the alley and there are still rats running around and it’s daylight.”
According to Kata, she and her neighbors have taken matters into their own hands, trying to dispatch the rodents themselves and going through 12 packs of rat poison in a short time.
“We’ve never experienced anything like what we’ve seen the last 12 months,” Wrigleyville resident Thomas Findlay said. “We’ve had rats almost on a daily basis walking all around the neighborhood. In the streets, on the sidewalks, on people’s porches.”
Pest control company Terminix took to its Facebook profile on Friday to announce that from now until the Cubs open their season on April 5 against the St. Louis Cardinals, they’re offering area residents a 25 percent discount on all rodent and wildlife removal services.
The Tribune reports that according to Cubs spokesman Julian Green, the team has been working with the city to reduce the rats but haven’t received any complaints from residents since last fall. Green asks that residents with concerns contact their local alderman. Wrigley Field is located in the city’s 44th Ward, under the purview of Alderman Tom Tunney.