Along Waveland Avenue outside Wrigley Field, there are several steel beams that rise up to form a rough outline of where the left-field bleachers and the Cubs’ new video board will be. Along Sheffield Avenue, in right field, there is nothing — just a view looking toward Lake Michigan.
Construction on the right-field bleachers is lagging even further behind than the team anticipated when it announced at the Cubs Convention in January that the bleachers wouldn’t be ready until May.
Blaming the record cold streak of February, Crane Kenney, the Cubs president of business operations, said Monday the right-field bleachers won’t be ready for fans to sit in until at least early June while the left- and center-field bleachers remain on track for a May 11 opening.
The dragging pace of bleacher construction isn’t the only problem. During a media tour of the Wrigley renovations Monday, Carl Rice, vice president of ballpark operations, said some of the bathrooms in the left-field concourse may not be ready until June.
To make up for lost working days because of the cold, the Cubs also said they will request the city allow them to work 24 hours per day, seven days per week to maintain their current timelines. That exceeds the current restricted hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. These two issues could cause headaches for those who live around Wrigley Field and those attending games early in the season starting with the home opener on April 5.
And for those who do attend games, expect construction in the park and bleachers to be ongoing throughout the season, even during games.
“We were hopeful for a warm winter. We did not get that,” Kenney said. “We had record cold in November and February. … So that is not helpful for our steel construction.”
Work on a water main initially delayed the construction of the right-field bleachers, but the Cubs pinned the current problems on the cold, specifically within the last two weeks. Rice said the crews generally do not work if the temperature hits 10 degrees or lower, and strong wind complicates the work.
Kenney said five of the last nine days were lost because the cold made it too dangerous for construction crews.
“These next two weeks are really critical for us,” Kenney said. “When we had those days last week that were so cold, they couldn’t work. There was literally nothing happening those days.”
One facet of the renovations, the controversial video board in left field, remains on track to be ready for opening night. The right-field board will go up around the time those bleachers open.
Because of the lost days, the Cubs said they soon will make a formal request of the city to extend the working hours for the construction crew to expedite the bleacher construction and work on the left-field concourse. Attempts to contact Ald. Tom Tunney, 44th, about the request were not successful.
The idea of extending the working hours met with mixed reactions from some residents around Wrigley.
“I’m kind of used to it, so it doesn’t bother me,” said Martin Chen, who lives near the corner of Waveland and Sheffield. “If I’m in my apartment, trying to watch a movie, it’s no different than the Red Line going by, in my opinion.
“The setup in general has already created a nuisance, so if they can work 24-7 to get it done quicker, then I’m all for it.”
Jim Spencer, president of East Lake View Neighbors, didn’t quite see it that way. Spencer criticized the Cubs for not being forthcoming about the renovations.
“This neighborhood has been forced to give up way too much to the Ricketts family …” Spencer said. “They just keep coming back for more, and now is enough.
“These people are entitled to some quiet enjoyment of their homes. We’ve done enough. If this is the way they’re going to run their construction and run their team, they might as well pack it in.”
The left-field concourse, typically filled with concession stands, walkways and ramps, is now packed with construction equipment, workers and dirt. The only walkway that’s present is one made of steel covers that form a pathway over the dirt. The dirt is everywhere, as are excavators, forklifts and steel beams. Rice said the concourse renovations are on schedule, even though they won’t be complete by opening night.
“We knew we were dealing with a building that was old and we were going to run into surprises, and we have within some of the structure of the building,” Rice said. “But nothing that surprised to the extent that we have questioned whether or not we should stay at Wrigley. Everything we have done here has been about extending the life of the ballpark and has worked quite well for us.”
Rice said part of the outfield wall has been replaced with new bricks, and the ivy is being reattached to the wall now. He said the clubhouse renovations will be complete by opening day 2016.
Rice said the Cubs will try to limit construction during games and will put workers behind cinder blocks so as to avoid detracting from the fan experience. While the bleachers will be open for fans in May and June, they may not be complete until the end of the season.
A lot of the timetables depend on the weather and the city’s approval of the working hours extension. In the meantime, fans should prepare to heed the signs that say, “Pardon our dust.”
“Hopefully it won’t bother people too much,” Kenney said. “It could be a little dusty and a little dirty this year.”
Tribune reporters Steven Goldstein and Hal Dardick contributed.
Twitter @ChristopherHine
