t
I
WR1GLEY FIELD
CHICAGO CUBS
lOfiO West Addison Sired
Chicago, Illinois MOT 13 1397
December 1,2014
773. 104.CUBS
Ms. Alexandra Holt Director
Office of Budget and Management 121 N. LaSalle Street Room 604 Chicago, IL 60602
Dear Ms. Holt:
As you know, an ordinance adopted by the Chicago City Council on December 11, 2013, requires the Cubs to provide an annual written report to the City of Chicago detailing the Cubs actions in the past year and its future plans in the upcoming year to meet its obligations under the ordinance and any subsequent agreements.
The past year continued the Cubs widespread community efforts. In addition to the baseball season, we hosted Billy Joel and Blake Shelton on July 18th and 19lh and Zac Brown Band on September 13th, delivering three exciting nights of music and entertainment in Lakeview. As a result of the shows, more than $560,000 in amusement taxes went directly to the City of Chicago and Cook County. Many neighborhood businesses reported an increase on the nights of the shows.
More than 47,000 fans used the free remote parking lot during the 2014 season and rode the shuttle bus to Wrigley Field. Every car using the remote parking facility helps avoid traffic on streets around Wrigley Field. Our free bicycle valet service served more than 4,500 bicycle riders. We also continued our active participation in community organizations, events and activities; working to further the success of our neighborhood.
Enclosed you will find, a more detailed report on our efforts in 2014. It is also posted online at www.cubs.com/community. In all, we devoted countless hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars during the year. In addition to these contributions, the Cubs generated millions of dollars in amusement taxes, employed thousands of Chicagoans and supported community and charitable activities.
On behalf of the Cubs, thank you for all of your help. Working together is important as we continue to invest in our team, Wrigley Field and our neighborhood.
cc:
Hon. Tom Tunney, 44 ward Hon. Susana Mendoza, City Clerk Rebekah Scheinfeld, Commissioner
Dear Neighbors:
Thank you for your support of the Chicago Cubs in 2014. Each year, we are proud to share with the community our efforts aimed at protecting and enhancing the quality of life for Lakeview residents, while ensuring the fan and visitor experience at Wrigley Field is the best in baseball.
Through our annual investment of nearly $1 million, we reduced traffic congestion in the area, proactively communicated to residents about events and activities in the neighborhood and helped keep our community clean and safe.
Our notable achievements in 2014 are highlighted in this report:
- More than 47,000 fans took the free shuttle bus to Wrigley Field from the remote parking lot at 3900 N. Rockwell St., helping alleviate traffic in the neighborhood.
- More than 4,500 bicyclists took advantage of the free valet service during the season, further reducing traffic and air pollution in the area.
- Our neighborhood newsletter reached nearly 10,000 subscribers with regular updates about events inside and outside the ballpark, including impacts to parking, traffic in the area and construction activity.
We are also proud of our investments in the community. In 2014, Cubs Charities supported charitable grants of more than $1.1 million to deserving non-profit organizations in the neighborhood and throughout Chicago. The team also donated more than 85,000 complimentary tickets to community and social service organizations across the city.
Many of these contributions were directed to the Lakeview community. During the last four years, Cubs Charities and Cubs Care, a fund of the McCormick Foundation, have contributed more than $1 million directly to the neighborhood, which includes the Horace Greeley School Playlot, Center on Halsted, Lake View YMCA After School Program and St. Joseph Hospital Laboure Clinic. In 2014, we added an additional $1 million to help fund Margaret Donahue Park -the largest community playlot in Lakeview.
The Cubs have aggressively provided and funded neighborhood protection activities for Cubs games and musical performances. We continue to do so at a pace unequalled in Chicago. The team also will pay more than $15 million in direct amusement taxes in 2014 and will help generate more than $300 million overall for the economy of Chicago and Illinois.
We continue to actively participate in the community, working hard to improve the quality of life in our neighborhood. The restoration and expansion of Wrigley Field, which began in 2014, represents an investment of more than $300 million and will help keep our community and our ballpark thriving for another generation.
Sincerely,
Chicago Cubs Community Affairs
Thank you for your help along the way. We look forward to continuing to work together in 2015.
EIGHBORHOfrD
PROTECTION REPORT
REMOTE PARKING OPERATION
As part of an ongoing commitment to ease vehicle traffic and reduce the number of cars near Wrigley Field, in 2014 the Chicago Cubs continued our free remote parking lot during night and weekend games and concerts at a new location two miles west of the ballpark.
The new remote parking lot is located at 3900 N. Rockwell St., just east of the Chicago River immediately south of Irving Park Road. The lot is secured by Cubs personnel during its operation. The parking service includes free bus transportation to and from the remote lot and Wrigley Field. While use began slowly in April and May, as fans grew accustomed to the new location, use picked up as the season wore on.
During the 2014 season, which included 61 night and weekend games and three concert dates, more than 18,000 cars parked at the lot and more than 47,000 fans rode the free shuttle bus to Wrigley Field.
Highlights of the year include:
- Total cars parked: 18,466.
- Total fans using the lot: 47,202.
- Average number of cars per event: 293.
- Largest single game usage: 538 cars.
The Cubs created television and radio advertising for the remote parking facility to help encourage its use. The advertising highlighted its convenient location and the fact it is free. Cubs Season Ticket Holders and online purchasers were sent information with their ticket orders before the 2014 season began. Fans could also download information about the remote facility from the Cubs website, www.cubs.com.
Electronic message boards on Western Avenue, Irving Park Road and Addison Street, near Rockwell Street continued to promote the remote parking facility before and during games. These signs were visible for all night and weekend games at locations adjacent to City streets. Static signage on many streets in the area, as well as on the Edens and Kennedy expressways, further helped direct cars to the remote parking lot.
BICYCLE CHECK SERVICE
In 2014, the Chicago Cubs once again offered a popular, free bicycle check service from a valet location on Waveland Avenue just steps from Gate K at Wrigley Field. The bicycle check operated throughout the regular season and continued for all event dates at Wrigley Field, including musical performances. Service started two hours before the scheduled event time and ended one hour after the conclusion of the event. More than 4,500 bicycle riders used the free service during the regular baseball season.
This free service continues to host a regular clientele of riders and continues to be a major contributor to reductions in vehicular traffic in the community. In addition to the Cubs' official bicycle check service, hundreds of fans used one of the many bicycle racks around the ballpark. Many Cubs employees and vendors serving the ballpark also used the valet service.
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TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY
The Office of Emergency Management and Communications Traffic Management Authority was again instrumental in working with the Cubs and the community to reduce traffic congestion and coordinate traffic flow during events. The flexibility of TMA personnel is key to addressing shifting traffic needs. The number of TMA personnel increased or decreased due to traffic demands. Typically 45-50 traffic aides are posted in the streets around Wrigley Field and the remote parking lot to assist vehicular traffic on event dates. The Cubs reimburse the City of Chicago for the cost of TMA traffic aides. In 2014, the total payment through October was $471,914.
PROMOTION OF ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION
The Chicago Cubs continue to use television and radio broadcast time and print advertising to promote public transportation and alternate means of getting to the ballpark, including CTA, Pace, the free shuttle service from the remote parking lot at 3900 N. Rockwell St. and the bicycle valet operation. The Cubs have printed and distributed brochures promoting these services for the past ten years.
The Cubs also used ballpark and digital assets to promote alternate means of transportation and other ways to reach the Friendly Confines:
- Promoted CTA service on Wrigley Field scoreboard.
- Broadcasted in-park announcements during games.
- Provided detailed alternative transportation information on www.cubs.com.
- Published transportation alternatives in Vine Line and the Cubs Yearbook.
- Provided public transportation and remote parking information in Cubs gameday programs.
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PERMITS
The Cubs continued to cover the printing costs for the Baseball Night Game Residential Parking Permit stickers, guest vehicte placards (Single Game and All Game Placards) and Access Passes in LV-2 zones.
CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY
Fan surveys during the 2014 season show significant numbers of Cubs fans took CTA and other forms of public transportation. The CTA Red Line provides direct service to Wrigley Field via the accessible station at Addison. Fans can transfer to Red Line trains from all other rail lines and from most east-west bus routes.
Fans can also access Wrigley Field from several CTA bus routes, including #8 Halsted, #22 Clark and #152 Addison. Season Ticket Holders, as well as online purchasers, were sent information about public transportation with their ticket orders before the 2014 season.
PACE
Use of the Pace bus program was strong during the 2014 season. In part, this was due to promotion on radio broadcasts and within Wrigley Field. Pace operated its Schaumburg shuttle from the Northwest Transportation Center and a non-stop shuttle service from the Yorktown Shopping Center in Lombard, Illinois. Following games, up to six express shuttle buses were staged on Clark Street and available to fans 30 minutes after the last out of the game. The service is well received by Pace users and offers a convenient way to get to Wrigley Field from the western suburbs. In 2014, ridership on the Wrigley Field Express from Schaumburg was 20,359 and ridership from Yorktown was 10,397 for a combined total of 30,756 Pace riders.
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PROTECTION REPORT
LITTER, TRASH REMOVAL
Among the efforts undertaken by the Cubs in 2014:
- Picked up trash after games and the following mornings.
- Emptied trash bins around the ballpark during games.
- Power-washed sidewalks immediately adjacent to Wrigley Field (north side of Addison Street, west side of Sheffield Avenue, south side of Waveland Avenue, east side of Clark Street) at least once per homestand.
- Made in-park announcements during each game (e.g., throw away trash in bins before leaving the ballpark and throw trash only in bins outside of the ballpark).
- Stationed trash bins and personnel at exits to ask people to deposit trash, non-souvenir cups, wrappers, etc. in bins before exiting the park.
- Posted signs to remind fans to throw away trash in bins before exiting the ballpark and throw away trash in bins outside the ballpark. Cleaned area bounded by Clark Street, Sheffield Avenue and Waveland Avenue. This included emptying garbage bins on opposite sides of the street.
- Emptied public trash bins every Saturday, after each event and on holiday weekends and designated holidays when City service was lessened
and garbage increased, even when unrelated to Cubs games.
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- Emptied public and Cubs-owned or -placed trash bins at corners or locations in the area bounded by Halsted Street, Montrose Avenue, Damen Avenue and Belmont Avenue, and in the area bounded by Kenmore Avenue adjacent to Challenger Park and Kelly Park and Seminary Avenue adjacent to Kelly Park after night games, and in all Cubs (or affiliate) owned-or-operated Wrigley Field parking lots on all gamedays (typically three hours after a game).
- Cleaned and swept streets near the ballpark, including Sheffield, Wilton, Fremont, Grace, Waveland, Racine, Seminary, Kenmore, Clifton, Alta Vista, Byron, Patterson, Eddy and Cornelia.
- Offered recycling bins around the exterior of the ballpark.
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The Cubs played 38 regular season night games in 2014, including two on Saturday and one on Sunday.
The Chicago Cubs game scheduled for Sunday, June 29, against the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field was moved to Saturday, June 28, as part of a separate admission, day-night doubleheader. This change was made in consideration of neighborhood traffic and congestion in connection with the annual Pride Parade in Chicago held June 29.
The 2015 Cubs schedule is available at www.cubs.com and was made available as a pocket schedule to fans and residents in September. Early notification of the schedule helps facilitate neighborhood and community event planning.
COMMUNITY COMMUNICATIONS
Among the efforts undertaken by the Cubs in 2014:
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- Sent regular newsletter and alerts to municipal entities and neighborhood leaders during the course of the season.
- Communicated with neighbors via email through Cubs Community Connection.
- Reached nearly 10,000 people who signed up to receive regular updates.
- Promoted notice of game time changes.
- Continued participation in community meetings and neighborhood association meetings to keep in touch with the community, stay informed and share information. The team attended more than 75 meetings in 2014.
- Worked with members of the Wrigley Field Traffic Operations Committee before and during the season to review performance and share notes and ideas.
- Created a new website at www.wriqlevfield.com to provide information and updates specifically about Wrigley Field construction.
- To sign up for neighborhood alerts, visit www.cubs.com/neiqhbors.
Additional Gameday and Neighborhood Protections The Cubs provided and funded the following in 2014:
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- Ten additional personnel in the community for two hours after the completion of weekday events and three hours after weekend events to work with Chicago Police.
- Portable restrooms placed in each Cubs-owned or -affiliated parking lot.
- Bleacher restrooms available for one hour after games.
- Continued to monitor and observe fans postgame and deter disruptive behavior. Following the music performances this summer, additional teams of off-duty police officers were placed at key intersections until the early morning hours to further this effort.
- $3.75 million in donations for community infrastructure and amenities, including street lighting on many of the residential streets in the neighborhood over the next 10 years.
- Free parking for residents of the immediate neighborhood in the Green and Blue lots on non-event days.
HOTLINE
The Cubs funded a hotline operated and staffed by the Chicago Police Department to address non-emergency calls from neighborhood residents during and after Cubs home games.
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MUSIC
On Friday, July 18, and Saturday, July 19, 20K, Billy Joel and Blake Shelton, respectively, continued the tradition of great music at Wrigley Field. On Saturday, Sept. 13, Zac Brown Band performed at the Friendly Confines.
As a result of these shows, more than $560,000 in amusement taxes went directly to the City of Chicago and Cook County. Many area businesses reported an increase on the nights of the shows.
During each show, additional neighborhood protections helped in the community. A neighborhood hospitality team remained on the streets around the ballpark to provide a visible deterrent to loud noise and inappropriate behavior following each show. Neighborhood reports and observations indicated few issues.
Neighbors purchased thousands of tickets to these shows in a special pre-sale offered as part of the Cubs Community Connection e-newsletter. Efforts such as additional portable toilets, working with the Chicago Police Department, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications and the Traffic Management Authority and ensuring pre-event publicity for public transportation and our free remote parking lot all helped the events succeed.
Wrigtey Field has hosted 20 successful concerts since 2005. Each has been a great opportunity for music lovers, for Chicagoans and for our economy. We are encouraged by the responses we received this year, and we hope to continue the tradition of attracting appropriate events to keep Wrigley Field a thriving contributor to the excitement and quality of the Lakeview community and the City of Chicago.
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COMMUNITY AFFAIRS
In 2014, the Cubs Community Affairs team participated in more than 75 meetings of community organizations and served on the boards of directors of neighborhood associations, chambers of commerce and non-profit groups.
The team actively participates in preserving neighborhood businesses and enhancing the quality of life for Lakeview residents. Margaret Donahue Park is a $1 million commitment from the Cubs to Lakeview in 2014 and represents the largest playlot in our community. In addition to the playlot, during the last four years Cubs Charities and Cubs Care, a fund of the McCormick Foundation, have contributed more than $1 million directly to the neighborhood, which includes the Horace Greeley School Playlot, Center on Halsted, Lake View YMCA After School Program and St. Joseph Hospital Laboure Clinic. The Cubs also will pay $3.75 million in the 10 years beginning in 2014 for community infrastructure related projects.
Following are some of the highlights of our community activities:
- The ninth annual Race to Wrigley 5K hosted more than 6,000 runners and raised more than $390,000 for Cubs Charities and Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.
- Last January, the Cubs 100 Gifts of Service Caravan Tour made its annual trek with Chicago Cubs players, coaches and front office personnel visiting three schools, including Blaine School, three hospitals and the 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines base.
- The Cubs donated $1 million toward a new playlot on School Street near Wrigley Field, to be named after pioneer Cubs executive Margaret Donahue.
- Cubs associates served Thanksgiving dinner to more than 100 teens and youth in Lakeview at the 15th Annual National Runaway Safeline Dinner.
- Cubs associates successfully spearheaded 700 Gifts of Service to integrate our community activities into Wrigley Field's 100th birthday. Throughout the year, Cubs associates engaged in community service projects at Lake View High School, Chicago Plays!, Illinois Masonic Hospital, Center on Halsted, Lake View YMCA, Lakeview Pantry, 19th Distinct Police Station and the Night Ministry.
- The Cubs participated in the 2014 Pride Parade and appeared at Chicago's Bud Billiken Parade and several Lakeview neighborhood festivals and events.
Throughout the year, Chicago Cubs players and coaches were active in the community, visiting hospitals, schools and taking part in on-field clinics for charitable organizations.
2014
NEIGHBORHOOD
PROTECTION REPORT
CUBFUND
CubFund was the former commitment made by the Cubs to fund unanticipated needs in the community over a ten-year period. At the request of Aldermen Tunney, Pawar, Cappleman and Waguespack, the $1.1 million balance of the fund will be spent on new traffic signals in the immediate vicinity of the ballpark.
We hope you enjoyed reading about the Cubs Neighborhood Protection and Improvement program and its role in being a good neighbor and steward in the community. These efforts remain an important part of the ongoing partnership between the Cubs and our neighbors and will continue into 2015.
Thank you for your help in making these efforts possible. We look forward to seeing you in and around the community in the year ahead.