Citizen Staff
Rod Aman, left, and Ben Ahlstrom, put a 1930s facade on a building on James Street in Columbus on Monday as preparation for the filming of scenes in "Public Enemies" continues.
COLUMBUS — The sidewalks of downtown Columbus were unusually crowded on Monday — just one week before the filming of "Public Enemies," which is set for March 17.
"Public Enemies" is a film directed by Michael Mann about the life of John Dillinger, which will star Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard.
As fans of the movie about 1930s gangsters have started streaming into town, local officials are busy working on plans for accommodating the crowds, dealing with road closures and keeping emergency services running without interruption.
Downtown businesses also remain open, even though construction workers are busy in and around them, working all through the day to bring history back to life.
Mayor Nancy Osterhaus said last week that Highways 16/60 and 73 will be closed to through traffic in Columbus through March 20. She said that detours for those roads will be the same as those that were utilized during various construction projects over the last several years. Highway 73 will be detoured onto the Highway 151 bypass and Highways 16/60 will go north on Highway 151 to County Roads S and T, then back to Highway 16/60.
Parking will be limited, and downtown street lights will also be removed.
Though the closures were set to take effect on Monday, they had not yet been enforced by the late afternoon.
Lt. Roger Witthun of the Columbus Police Department said that he was not sure when the road closures would be enforced, but stated that the state Department of Transportation had authority to close the roads.
"Foot traffic downtown is going to be open — it is just that vehicle traffic won't be," Witthun said.
He added that, in addition to these main highways, other areas may also be blocked for construction or movie equipment — including the 200 block of North Dickason Boulevard, and the parking lot behind Jodee O's Bar & Grill on South Water Street.
"Just be patient when you are trying to get downtown," Witthun said. "Until everything is opened back up it is going to be a little bit hectic in town."
Interim fire chief Bill Kluetzman said that the Columbus Fire Department could possibly be inside the closed off district on the day of filming (March 17), but that it would not be inside the 10-day road closure zone.
"We do have plans in place," Kluetzman stated.
Kluetzman said that a fire truck may be stored away from the station, on the city's west side, for faster response to potential fires.
"We have some people that work on the west side of town that could man it immediately, and not have to come up to town into the real populated area, and then try to get out of here, too," he stated.
Kluetzman said that the fire department would be working in cooperation with police to provide manpower and equipment for crowd control and road closures on March 17. Columbia County Sheriff's Department may be involved in traffic control on that day too.
"We're being told there could be thousands, you just never know," he said of the crowd that is expected on that day.
Kluetzman said that his department would have access to the downtown in case of an emergency even on the day of filming.
"We won't disrupt if we don't absolutely have to," he said.
He explained that either a police or fire officer will be near the film's director with access to Columbia County's paging system.
"They will know if there is a fire or something going on," he said.
Kluetzman said he was notified that there will be lots of fake gunfire during the filming, but that there will not be any explosives used.
Osterhaus said last week that people will be able to see the movie being made.
"There will be limited access to specific areas during the actual shoot," she said.
Osterhaus added that people will be able to watch as long as they are quiet.
"If they choose to not be quiet, then they will be moved back," she warned.
The state Department of Transportation has issued permits for the closing of the state highways. The date for those closings could be extended.
Adam Boor, location scout for "Public Enemies," said that filming for the movie is set to take place throughout the day on March 17. The streets will then be put back together, but Boor said that the work of tearing down the sets might continue on past March 20.
Crews have spent two weeks turning downtown Columbus into a movie set. They have replaced awnings, built set peices for store windows, removed lights and signs, repainted curbs and removed snow and ice.
pscharf@capitalnewspapers.com