TROY — Ida Lake supporters paddled onto the lake Sunday afternoon in support of efforts to save the dam that creates the sprawling preserve and the recreational opportunities it affords city residents.

The dam was damaged in 2011 due to high, rushing waters from tropical storm Irene. The city proposed removing the dam last winter rather than fixing it. However, after a handful of public meetings, the city has pumped the brakes on the effort, which has allowed Ida Lake supporters time to make their case.

After a rainy, chilly spring, Sunday's 80-degree, sunny weather provided an inviting atmosphere for supporters' "float-in." Their numbers were small, 30-odd paddlers in kayaks, canoes and row boats, but their passion was mighty.

"I was devastated when the city announced the plan," said Suzanne Petty, who lives on Pawling Avenue across the street from Mount Ida Cemetery and the Ida Lake. "I remember ice skating on the lake as a kid. It would be wonderful to preserve this for the nature lovers in and around Troy. It's a beautiful asset."

She bought a used kayak so she could participate in Sunday's float-in. She was nervous about tipping but said she liked that she could handle the kayak and that it was such a serene and sunny afternoon.

Croaking toads and the steady splashing of the falls created by the dam provided the soundtrack.

As she spoke, a Troy family who didn't want to be interviewed enjoyed fishing and bike riding from the banks of Mount Ida Cemetery. Another family rode their bicycles down to the water's edge. While the dad fished, the daughter rode around the cemetery's paths safe from traffic, and mom remarked on the history to be found in the headstones.

That part of the lake, also known as Belden Pond, would be lost if the wooden dam is removed. The city proposed taking it down last fall over concerns that it couldn't withstand another onslaught like the high waters from the tropical storm. The city said it was "structurally unsound."

Jennifer Quinn, whose Route 2 property abuts the Poestenkill Creek just where the lake begins, questioned the use of "worst-case scenario" projections in the original timetable to remove the dam. The city had originally wanted to remove the dam over the winter.

"Everything would have to go wrong for the city's inundation maps to be accurate," she said, "they are based on the most extreme possibilities."

A project manager for a Colorado company, she moved from downtown Albany to the tranquil creek to enjoy its natural wonders while she works from home, saying she "fell in love with the view."

She paused often as she spoke to see what birds were passing. A young bald eagle, a cooper's hawk, some Canada geese and a few mallards filled out the postcard-perfect scene.

Like the Poestenkill that feeds Ida Lake, the pond is only a few feet deep throughout and silt/sediment has narrowed navigable channels in many places. Quinn wondered what would happen to the Ambersand Energy Partners operation if all that silt/sediment is allowed to flow further downstream.

The company produces hydropower from the Poestenkill Creek Gorge, which is less than a half-mile downstream from the Ida Lake dam.

The Ida Lake Dam was built about 1850 for industrial use when factories relied on water power. It was rebuilt about 1998. It is located near the intersection of Route 2 and Pawling Avenue.

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Quinn is hopeful, "I feel like the city is listening, and it's beginning to feel like we might change minds about repairing or replacing the dam. It's a treasure to have something so beautiful in the city. It would be a shame to lose it."

Mark Heffernan, who many identified as the original "Save Ida Lake" organizer, hosted friends and supporters in the backyard of his Route 2 property, which sits on Ida Lake. He wants the city to better utilize the ecological, recreational and educational aspects of Ida Lake.

"We want to highlight the many types of uses for this natural area created by the water impounded by the Ida Lake dam," he said. "We have been working to illustrate the value of the area to the city, and the area's linchpin is the dam. This natural area is a tremendous asset that is under-utilized. Imagine a bus of North Central students pulling up here for a day of kayaking on the lake."

The city has said it would cost about $60,000 to take apart the dam and an as-yet-unidentified millions to repair or replace. Those interviewed understood the financial concerns. As taxpayers, they each cited their own rising tax bills, but they all identified various grants that could be pursued to help with efforts to rebuild the structure. Several also suggested that, in the rebuilding, "sluice gates," could be added to help with flood control efforts.