Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney stopped by the CSN booth with Len and JD during Monday's Cubs-Mets game to discuss the opening of the new and improved bleachers in left and center field, giving updates on what amenities fans can expect to see when they head to the Friendly Confines. He also gave updates on when the right field bleachers will open, as well as a July 3rd date to celebrate the entire bleacher section being open to the public. See what Kenney had to say in the video above.
On the bleachers opening in left and center field: "It's great to have at least 2/3 of our bleachers open, so room for 3,500 (fans) in left field and center. And some new amenities they'll see when they're there, the first part is that there's more room to move around and we got rid of some of the choke points that happened really in center field where the concession lines would interfere with the pedestrian concourse and having new spaces behind there will allow everybody to get around.
"The second part is we're able to bring some new amenities in terms of better concession, fresher food. We've got 20 new points of sale, so in addition to getting through the concession lines quicker there's going to be a better food product once you get there.
"And then the last part, we've got some new spaces, some group spaces in left field what we call The Well, and then under the new video board there, one of our porches is open. So you'll see some great spots to view the game."
On new group seating areas in The Well: "Those spaces, there's room for 15. The middle space is a little bit bigger, more like 25, and you have a view right over the wall. It's all group space, so it's mean more to mingle and walk around and visit with everybody in your group rather the person on your right or left, which is one of the things we learned when we opened the Bud Patio a couple years ago.
"It's divisible into three spaces, so if there were three groups you could each have your own spot or you could take the whole thing. And then the upper patio is up to 100 people can fit under the scoreboard, and what's neat about that space is you've got both shade and a sun deck at one end, and your own concession service. So, it's really something that our fans told us after we opened the patio."
On the video boards in left and right field: "We've learned a lot by being last with our video boards, seeing what everybody else does. Some of it we like and some of it doesn't fit for Wrigley, and we're not going to do. But knowing the lineup, especially in the first game of a series with the Mets coming to town for the first time and they've got some new faces, they've got some injuries - David Wright's not there - so for our fans to see who's on the visiting squad and where they bat and what their averages are and to be able to kind of refer to it throughout the game really helps."
MLB
On a timeline for the right field bleachers: "So June 11 we'll open right (field bleachers), a month from today. And then we're going to celebrate the bleachers being fully back online in July 3rd. So they're still a work in progress; left field, still a little bit of work going on underneath. Everything works in terms of concessions and restrooms and obviously the seating, and the same thing will be true in right field. June 11 it will be open; we'll still be doing a little bit of work behind the scenes but we thought we'd have sort of a grand celebration for the bleachers coming online in their fullest sense on July 3rd, so those are the next two milestones."