BEMIDJI-The orange fencing is off the ice.
The Beltrami County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post that it has successfully removed the orange fencing that looped around the entrance of Lake Bemidji from the Mississippi River.
The fence was put in to warn people of thinning ice in the area, especially during the Hockey Day Minnesota events the week of Jan. 19.
This was the first year the sheriff's office put up such extensive fencing to protect people from the thin ice around the area where the Mississippi feeds into the lake. Late last month, Sheriff Ernie Beitel said the first day they put up the fencing, a vehicle ran into it, requiring repairs.
To install the fencing, workers cut holes in the ice, stood the poles up, and filled in the rest of the hole with water until it froze back.
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And while the signs and poles were removed earlier, it wasn't until this week that they were able to get the actual fencing out, according to the Facebook post, as the actual fencing was frozen in the ice. The county's Boat and Water Division attached buoys to the fencing so it wouldn't sink, and this week they were able to get the fence and get it to shore.
