Dec. 03--The Chicago Cubs have agreed to remove one of seven outfield signs and scoreboards the team plans to install at Wrigley Field to address concerns of the National Park Service, which has to approve the renovation plans for the team to receive federal tax credits, according to a source familiar with the team's plans.
The team has revised its outfield signage based on a negotiated settlement with the Park Service, the source said.
In addition to reducing the number of proposed signs from seven to six, the Cubs plan to switch the location of the right field video scoreboard with that of a script sign that was to be located behind the Budweiser patio in the right-field bleachers, the source said. That person added that the Cubs also have agreed to reduce the size of the right-field video board but did not provide the exact size of the scoreboard.
The Cubs removed a proposed sign that would have been placed between the new left field video scoreboard and the iconic center field scoreboard, the source said.
The Cubs plan to present the changes Thursday to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, which had approved the seven signs in July. Crain's Chicago Business first reported the revisions to the outfield signage.
The settlement with the Park Service appears to clear the way for the Cubs to receive up to $75 million in tax credits under a federal program to encourage the preservation of historic properties.
The agency had put its approval on hold over concerns about advertising overkill at the historic ballpark after the Cubs proposed seven signs in the outfield earlier this year, an increase of five signs from the two that the Landmarks Commission approved last year.
The settlement with the Park Service appears to represent a minor concession by the Cubs, which still would have four more signs than the Landmarks Commission originally approved in 2013.
Nevertheless, shifting the right field video board and reducing its size could lessen the visual impact of that sign on Wrigley's iconic center field scoreboard. The left field video board was already set to be a large distance away from the center field scoreboard.
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