DAYTON — Dayton is hours away from the start of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and thousands of feet of security fencing and barricades have popped up downtown.
As reported on News Center 7 at 5, the fencing and blockades are security measures, but it is making commuting around Dayton more complicated.
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The NATO village is headquartered at the Schuster Center and spreads out two or three blocks in each direction.
Everything will be closely monitored, but Dayton residents are still allowed to get to their homes and most of the places they work.
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“I knew it was going to happen, but I didn’t think it was going to be this fast,” Donna Johnson said.
Johnson works downtown and Wednesday morning she had to find a new route to avoid fences and barricades.
“Well you just might as well get adjusted to it because it’s here,” Johnson said.
Jasmine Ferrell says she shops downtown a lot.
“I’m just trying to figure out what the heck is going on. It’s kind of chaotic,” Ferrell said.
Ferrell’s bus is taking a new route to the hub, and all the security measures may make the downtown area a place to avoid for the next few days.
“So now I’m seeing what’s about to go on. I didn’t know that they were supposed to be down here tomorrow but I knew that was coming down,” Ferrell said.
Signs of the NATO Assembly are everywhere, not just in downtown.
A sign on South Main Street lists the phone number for a NATO information hotline. Another sign warns of street closures and detours.
“It’s a very big deal,” Johnson said.
Dayton police estimated they would put up 14,000 feet of fencing and 6,000 feet of concrete barricades.
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