Wrigley Field Bleacher Renovations Will Run Into June
By Chuck Sudo in News on Mar 3, 2015 3:00PM
You didn’t think the Cubs’ Wrigley Field renovations would move along smoothly, did you? Here’s the latest setback: the Cubs are asking the city for permission to turn their “1060 Project” into a “1060 24-7 Project” after announcing Monday completion of the right field bleachers won’t be complete until at least June.
The current state of the Friendly Confines' bleachers have many questioning whether the left field bleachers will be ready by Opening Day. Cold weather is the culprit this time around; construction crews lost five of their last nine work days due to the bitter cold weather. Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney sounded like Tom Skilling in announcing the delay.
”We were hopeful for a warm winter; we did not get that,” Kenney said. “We had record cold, as everyone knows, in November and February. In fact, I learned that in February, Chicago was nine degrees colder than Anchorage [Alaska], so that is not helpful.”
And with the weather forecast calling for highs in the teens Wednesday and Thursday, crews could lose those days. The silver lining here is we’re in March and winter looks to be easing its grip on Chicago. The Cubs construction crews are already working from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. seven days a week. Progress on the bleacher reconstruction had already been delayed because crews waited for delivery of fabricated steel for the project. Two rooftop clubs sought a temporary restraining order to halt the renovations last month, a move that was rejected by a judge.