Trustee proposes community documentary to play at Depot, board asks staff to identify point contact

Trustee Quincy presented a proposal for a full-length documentary about East Dundee that would be displayed in the Depot and provide modular video clips the village could use for marketing. "It's going to be a document that is historical in nature, but, again, from the perspective of residents," Quincy said, calling the idea a way to "capture that and keep it locked in."

Dave Hudson, the filmmaker named in the proposal, has produced local commercial work and, according to Quincy, would deliver both a festival-ready feature and separate shorter files the village could reuse. Quincy said the project could be paid across two fiscal years and noted that Hudson isn't seeking licensing fees for village use. "He's very involved in this area; this is gonna be something that he feels passionate about," Quincy said.

Members of the Arts Council and other trustees said a historically focused, documentary-style approach would make the project most successful. An arts representative said the council imagined the film capturing long-time residents’ stories rather than staged re-enactments. "That approach — capturing people's stories without actors — would make it more successful," a board member on the Arts Council said.

Trustees discussed appointing a single point of contact to manage approvals and content questions and suggested a small review group for final edits. The board also discussed distribution and marketing: individual two‑minute edits could be shared with local realtors, the village YouTube channel and on local cable. One trustee estimated a project budget in the low tens of thousands; the board asked staff to return with a more detailed budget and a proposed point contact before committing funds. No formal vote was taken; the board gave consensus direction to pursue next steps and report back.