East Dundee Depot plaza upgrade includes new sidewalks, plant beds

Having become an East Dundee hot spot, The Depot plaza is undergoing a makeover village officials say will improve summer events and make the downtown more visually appealing.

Located at 319 N. River St., The Depot serves as a visitors center and houses the village's marketing and events staff. It's also the location of East Dundee's markets and weekly summer events, which grow in popularity year after year, Special Events Manager Erin Weingart said.

A roughly $27,000 project, expected to be completed by late spring, includes new pathways, planting beds, trees and a sodded lawn, Village Administrator Bob Skurla said.

"The reason we're trying to rework all of this is so we're not closing the downtown streets as we were doing regularly over the last two seasons of running these events," Weingart said. "It allows us to continue the events on The Depot grounds."

New sidewalks were added around the building last week, allowing visitors better access to The Depot grounds, Weingart said. An extra-wide sidewalk doubling as event space was also installed.

"It gives you a place to walk that's not the (Fox River) Trail, and it means you're not walking in the streets," she said. "It ties things together for events."

Next, Weingart said, existing planting beds will be improved, new plant beds will be installed and trees will be planted along the west side of the Fox River Trail. Some volunteers offered to help with those aspects of the project, she said.

Additionally, the grounds surrounding the building are being leveled and sodded.

"The lawn has some holes and uneven surfaces that can be hazardous," Weingart said. "The surface will become nice and level, which will help with drainage and for events."

East Dundee's summer events kick off June 6 with Motor Mondays, which is primarily held in the downtown streets to display unique vehicles and classic cars, Weingart said. She hopes the grounds will be ready in time for the Tail Waggin' Tuesday event June 14.

A community event Sunday also showed off The Depot's new interior renovations, which include new paint, flooring, cabinets and a tech bar.

"The Depot has really become the heart of East Dundee," Weingart said. "The plan is overall to make The Depot function better. This is going to make it look better, too."