To reduce the challenges of the ongoing rebuild of Ryan Field, Northwestern is offering free car washes to residents living near the 7th Ward.
An online request form was released on the Rebuild Ryan Field website for residents to sign up for car wash vouchers, which could be picked up or mailed to residents.
Evanston resident Margie Rogers said Ryan Field construction has been a “huge inconvenience” over the last two years, and her windows and car have continuously been dirty.
“It’s just more trouble than it’s worth to go through (the car wash),” Rogers said. “It needs to be done multiple times. It’s not like one free car wash is gonna make everything better.”
When the construction is over, she said she hopes NU will offer residents free tickets to make their struggles “worthwhile.”
In an email to The Daily, NU’s Senior Executive Director of Neighborhood and Community Relations Dave Davis said the car wash voucher program “was a way to show our responsiveness and appreciation for the community’s patience.”
He added that the vouchers, along with the other dust mitigations, office hours to meet with construction representatives and a co-working space for neighbors, are examples of NU’s commitment to maintaining a positive relationship with residents.
According to the Rebuild Ryan Field website, Central Street Consortium — the construction company conducting the rebuild — is using several dust mitigation tactics.
This includes a crew of street sweepers, operating misters onsite and a spraydown of each truck before it leaves the construction site.
In an email to The Daily, Ald. Eleanor Revelle (7th) said the construction management team has distributed 200 car wash vouchers and is in the process of purchasing more.
She said the “very modest” gesture acknowledges the impact the rebuilding has had on stadium neighbors.
Pointing to the visible dust on cars passing by Lincoln Street, football season ticket holder and longtime Evanston resident Carl Bova, said the contractor should be keeping the streets clean.
Bova said the car wash vouchers don’t matter because residents still have to breathe in the dust.
Several residents have complained about experiencing asthma attacks due to the dust from trucks going in and out. The dust on windshields can be so thick at times that it develops a mud-like consistency when sprayed down with water.
Evanston resident Elizabeth Van Nice (McCormick ’94) said she regularly sees the construction company cleaning the streets and trucks.
She said she appreciates the collaboration between NU and the city to make the construction manageable. She added that she found the car wash vouchers to be unnecessary.
As a football season ticket holder, Van Nice said she is excited for games to be held at the field again.
“I don’t find much of this as a nuisance,” she said. “I don’t think Northwestern is the bad guy here anyway.”
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