Wrigley Field Commemorative Bricks Found In Landfill Near Pontiac, Ill.
(CBS) --Engraved bricks that once graced the sidewalks outside of Wrigley Field have ended up in a downstate garbage dump.
Don't worry, says a Cubs spokesman. Each is being replaced by a new one bearing the same inscription, but in a new location.
When a downstate newspaper published photos of several of the discarded bricks taken from a landfill near Pontiac and began asking questions, the Cubs responded within hours.
The team is clearly angry that someone took the old bricks.
"The Cubs are working closely with Republic Services, the company responsible for the transportation and disposal of the removed pavers, to investigate how some of the pavers were taken from the disposal site without authorization," team spokesman Julian Green said.
"We don't think that's right," he added.
Green estimates that the Cubs have sold 12,000 of the personalized bricks since 2006, and said construction to date has required the removal of about half of them. The new bricks will be laid outside the bleachers entrance at Waveland and Sheffield Avenues and will be in place in time for Opening Day, 2016.
The personalized bricks were sold for $160 apiece, with three lines of up to 15 characters per line. Each purchaser was sent one brick, and a second was laid outside of Wrigley Field. Green said the new batch of bricks will be made and laid at no cost to those who bought them.
The team is even promising to "communicate specific locations" of the new bricks "once design layouts are finalized."
Green said the team began communicating with brick owners about what was being done in March and is making periodic updates.
Suzanne Terrell's family brick was among those discovered. She purchased it for her father Phillip Hoke, who died almost thirty years ago.
Terrell told CBS 2's Dana Kozlov she received a letter from the Cubs last fall explaining her paver may be moved and replaced because of Wrigley Field construction. But it didn't indicate it would be dumped like garbage.
Her original letter also stated her brick would remain near the statue of Ernie Banks, under the iconic Wrigley Field sign. Now, she's not sure what will happen.
"It would be nice if it when where it originally was," Terrell said.
The Cubs said they were going to send out letters to brick owners who may be affected.
The letters state, "As a valued Wrigley Field personalized paver owner, we would like to inform you of the following update.
The Chicago Cubs learned today some of the Wrigley Field personalized pavers removed due to ongoing construction were taken from a disposal site in Pontiac, Illinois.
As we communicated to paver owners in March, due to the Wrigley Field construction schedule, it was required we remove some of the original pavers. It was also apparent that many, if not all of the pavers, would be damaged during the removal process, which is why we did not make them available to owners and committed to providing new personalized pavers.
The Cubs are working closely with Republic Services, the company responsible for the transportation and disposal of the removed pavers, to investigate how some of the pavers were taken from the disposal site without authorization.
As a reminder, we plan to have the new pavers in place by Opening Day 2016 outside the Budweiser Bleachers. We will communicate specific locations once design layouts are finalized."
