Wrigley Field Construction Reportedly Leaves Rats "Overunning" Nearby Neighborhood

Wrigley Field is in the midst of a $575 billion face-lift/renovation. Problem is, the Cubs have already announced the construction is behind schedule. The outfield bleachers won’t be 100 percent finished by the time time the new-look Cubs host the Cardinals on April 5.

The Chicago Tribune checked in on the construction. As you might guess, residents in the aren’t very thrilled. The usual complaints — noise, parking, etc. — are cited. Oh right, there’s also this delightful passage about rats running through the area around the construction:

"One of the biggest problems with the renovations began when the Cubs renovated the green lot near the intersection of Racine Avenue and Grace Street. Shortly after construction there began, Kata said, rats began overrunning her neighborhood. “The rats have been running rampant. I’m not kidding you,” Kata said. “There are people in the alley and there are still rats running around and it’s daylight.” Kata and her neighbors took it upon themselves to get rid of the rats. Kata said she went through 12 packs of rat poison quickly. Thomas Findlay, who lives nearby, said he and another neighbor hired a private exterminator to get rid of the on their properties. While Findlay said he isn’t 100 percent sure the renovations caused the rat problem, the timing is suspect. “We’ve never experienced anything like what we’ve seen the last 12 months,” 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.”"

Take me out to the ballgame, indeed.

According to the Tribune a Cubs spokeman said the team hasn’t received any complaints about the rats.

[H/T HBT]