The opening phases of Wrigley Field’s renovation has not been without its troubles and controversy. There have been lawsuits and complaints and other assorted issues that have seemed to bog down significant progress. So much so, in fact, that the bleachers won’t even be ready in time for the Chicago Cubs’ home opener.Add to all that a developing rat problem in the neighborhood where the historic ballpark sits to the myriad problems. 
Adding to the already bleak scenery of the iconic stadium being torn apart amid construction equipment and mounds of dirt, some residents living nearby Wrigley have not only been complaining of “ridiculous” parking issues, but also the inordinate number of rats that are running surprisingly — and apparently fearlessly — roughshod over Wrigleyville.The rat troubles apparently began when the Cubs began renovations of a Wrigley parking lot located at a nearby intersection.“The rats have been running rampant. I’m not kidding you,” said Terie Kata, who lives three blocks away from the ballpark, according to the Chicago Tribune. “There are people in the alley and there are still rats running around and it’s daylight.”“We’ve never experienced anything like what we’ve seen the last 12 months,” said fellow neighborhood resident Thomas Findlay, who acknowledges it isn’t a 100 percent certainty that the renovations are causing the neighborhood rat infestation. “We’ve had rats almost on a daily basis walking all around the neighborhood. In the streets, on the sidewalks, on people’s porches.”Both Kata and Findlay said they have done their best to help curb the rat outbreak, including setting out rat poison traps and hiring exterminators, but the rats keep on coming.Cubs spokesman Julian Green said the team has been working with the city in dealing with the rats but reports there haven’t been any reported complaints since fall.
Adding to the already bleak scenery of the iconic stadium being torn apart amid construction equipment and mounds of dirt, some residents living nearby Wrigley have not only been complaining of “ridiculous” parking issues, but also the inordinate number of rats that are running surprisingly — and apparently fearlessly — roughshod over Wrigleyville.The rat troubles apparently began when the Cubs began renovations of a Wrigley parking lot located at a nearby intersection.“The rats have been running rampant. I’m not kidding you,” said Terie Kata, who lives three blocks away from the ballpark, according to the Chicago Tribune. “There are people in the alley and there are still rats running around and it’s daylight.”“We’ve never experienced anything like what we’ve seen the last 12 months,” said fellow neighborhood resident Thomas Findlay, who acknowledges it isn’t a 100 percent certainty that the renovations are causing the neighborhood rat infestation. “We’ve had rats almost on a daily basis walking all around the neighborhood. In the streets, on the sidewalks, on people’s porches.”Both Kata and Findlay said they have done their best to help curb the rat outbreak, including setting out rat poison traps and hiring exterminators, but the rats keep on coming.Cubs spokesman Julian Green said the team has been working with the city in dealing with the rats but reports there haven’t been any reported complaints since fall.
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