The rooftop owners insists they have a contract and indicated Friday they would take the Cubs to court to preserve their unobstructed views.
"From what we understand, where they're going to put the Jumbotron, it may not restrict our view so much," said Troy Tarr.
Tarr runs the Wrigleyview Rooftop Club and loves the idea the Ricketts family would spend up to a half billion dollars to rehab 99-year-old Wrigley Field and build new facilities in the surrounding neighborhood. And he knows that ad revenue generated by new electronic signage inside the ballpark could mean a lot.
"When you talk about $300-500 million in renovations, I get why they want to have more advertising," Tarr said. "That's gonna help them pay for those things."
In the proposed Wrigley Field deal, the Cubs reportedly have agreed to pay for extra police on game days, to build a $200 million dollar hotel and a parking garage with several hundred spaces.
The city, for its part, would allow more night games, at least 40, and more concerts, plus street fairs on game days. And the Cubs would be permitted more signage inside the ballpark, including the controversial Jumbotron in left field.
The Rooftop Owners Association complains that any sign obstructing their views would violate their existing agreement with the cubs that runs until 2024.
Spokeswoman Beth Murphy wrote: "Rooftop owners reserve the right to use any and all means necessary to enforce the remaining 11 years of our 20 year contract".
Tarr says a better idea is a Jumbotron in center field replacing the historic manual scoreboard.
"You hate to see something like that go away. However, I think that for everybody to flourish in business and make everybody happy, a Jumbotron replacing the old scoreboard would be great," he said.
Preservationists say that there so far has been no plan to tear down the scoreboard. They say that it's a big part of Wrigley Field's history and charm.
