Dayton police release maps of fencing removal, street openings
Fences are beginning to come down following the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and Dayton police have announced the stages in which they will be taking them down and reopening roads.
Though there was no specific time frame provided, police said they will remove fences in the following areas, in order:
- Riverscape
- Monument Avenue
- Main Street
- First Street and side streets north of First Street
- All streets west of Main Street, including West Second, West Third and Ludlow streets
- East Third Street and St. Clair Street
- East Second Street between N. Main Street and Patterson Boulevard
- Courthouse Square
Police said in some areas barriers may be moved to the side of the road and restrict lanes until they can be removed. They added officers will be present in the area to help ensure the safety of Public Works and vendor staff.
Fencing starts to come down as delegates leave
NATO Parliamentary Assembly President Marcos Perestrello ended the assembly’s final day in Dayton with a note of gratitude to the “city and people of Dayton,” as hundreds of delegates applauded on the floor of the Schuster Center, ending four days of discussions on the future of the alliance.
U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, pronounced the assembly’s spring session in Dayton a success, saying the Gem City proved itself a “world-class city.”
Credit: Bryant Billing
Minutes after the plenary session ended, crews began the process of dismantling security fencing around the core downtown business district that includes the Schuster Center and Stratacache Tower. Work on the fence near Courthouse Square was starting as delegates enjoyed food truck lunches on the square.
• Dayton proved itself a ‘world-class city,’ as NATO delegates applaud
Sinclair hosted confidential diplomatic discussions with Balkan leaders during assembly
Hundreds of people and groups rent out event space at Sinclair Community College every year – but the college has never seen an event anything like what it hosted during the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
Sinclair provided a safe, secure and private environment for diplomatic discussions between the presidents, ministers and other officials with Balkan countries, three decades after the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords, which ended the Bosnian war, said Steven Johnson, president and CEO of Sinclair Community College.
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sinclair was a confidential site where diplomats from countries including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia met for talks and negotiations, along with government officials with the U.S. State Department and Congress, including U.S. Rep. Mike Turner.
“It is rare that the presidents of these countries get together,” Johnson said. “It might be only the second time in history. … It’s huge. Dayton is back on the map.”
• Sinclair hosted confidential diplomatic discussions with Balkan leaders during assembly
Delegates get lunch at food truck rally on Courthouse Square
Following the morning plenary sitting and closing remarks, delegates gathered at Courthouse Square inside NATO Village for lunch provided by local food trucks.
Chris Kershner, President and CEO of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, shared his thoughts on the assembly events.
NATO Secretary General speaks at plenary sitting
The strongest defensive alliance in world history must get stronger, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told NATO Parliamentary Assembly delegates in Dayton Monday.
Delegates heard from Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andril Sybiha, over Zoom. He told them Russia was losing about 1,500 troops killed and wounded daily in its invasion of Ukraine.
He also told delegates than an investment in Ukraine is an investment in “transatlantic security.”
“We’re in a critical geopolitical moment, probably a decisive one,” Rutte said.
Monday is the final day of the Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and a plenary sitting, a meeting of all delegates, concludes the event this morning.
Fencing to be removed beginning this afternoon
Security told Dayton Daily News reporters that fencing and checkpoints will start to be removed around 1 p.m. this afternoon.
NATO delegates meet at Schuster for plenary sitting
30 years ago, essay contest winners represented Dayton at Peace Accords signing
In November of 1995, Dayton played host to the warring Balkan factions and by the time all the parties left the negotiations at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, a peace proposal – brokered by Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. assistant secretary of state – had been worked out.
The next month in Paris, U.S. President Bill Clinton, along with Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic, Croatian president Franjo Tudjman and Bosnia-Herzegovina president Alija Izetbegovic had agreed to sign the deal that would end Europe’s deadliest confrontation in 50 years.
The Dayton Daily News found a unique way to bring the historic moment home to its readers. The newspaper sponsored an essay contest – entitled. “Is the Pen Mightier than the Sword?” – for high school seniors in the area.
The winners, along with a chaperone and Dayton Daily News reporter Tom Archdeacon, traveled to Paris for the historic event.
• Archdeacon: 30 years ago, essay contest winners represented Dayton at Peace Accords signing
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• What you need to know about the Dayton NATO Spring Parliamentary Assembly
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