Cubs To Shell Out 388K To Repair Grant Park After World Series Rally
By Stephen Gossett in News on Nov 23, 2016 6:07PM
Yeah, that many fans will do some damage / Photo: Tyler LaRiviere
Aside from whatever it may have cost your sanity or personal space or travel time, the mammoth, century-in-waiting Cubs rally that lit up Grant Park earlier this month was at least free of charge to attendees’ pocketbooks. Not so for the team, however. The Chicago Park District announced on Wednesday how much the Cubs will have to pony up for park repairs. The total? A cool $388,000.
That figure covers the extent of repairs, Jessica Maxey-Faulkner, Communications Director of the Chicago Park District, wrote in an email sent to Chicagoist. So it looks like the taxpayer shouldn’t be on the hook at all. Good news since we don't think we could've handled the uproar if one White Sox fan were asked to pay one dollar.
According to Maxey-Faulkner, the necessary repairs included grading, “deep aeration,” and top soil and sand supplements. Crews will also have to fix fencing and re-sod sections of Lower Hutchinson field, which seems to be a bit of a trouble spot during for these events. The field, which is situated in the southeast corner, took on significant water during the most recent Lollapalooza weekend.
Speaking of Lollapalooza, the Cubs’ rally repair cost is relative bargain compared to that annual OG festival. C3 Presents, which organizes Lolla, had to fork over $453,000 to fix damage to Grant Park. Of course, that spanned four days this year while the Cubs rally was over in a matter of hours.
While an estimated 5 million people attended the rally, that number includes fans who watched the parade along the route and it’s starting line, in Wrigley Field.
"These celebrations are really great for Grant Park and Chicago but we need to make sure we get the resources to maintain it at world-class, front-yard standards and continue to make it greener and greener and more beautiful," Bob O'Neill, of Grant Park Conservancy, told Chicagoist via email. "Grant Park is an incredible economic engine for Chicago generating many millions of dollars each year for Chicago's neighborhood parks and creating an annual economic impact in the hundreds of millions of dollars."
O'Neill shared some photos of post-rally park damage, but added "it is all being repaired."
Courtesy of Grant Park Conservancy
Courtesy of Grant Park Conservancy
Courtesy of Grant Park Conservancy