The Albany Business Review reports that the Town of Berne in Albany County bought a 350-acre former Buddhist retreat for $475,000. The story says the sale is part of a plan to use the land on Game Farm Road, and a 5,000-quare-foot lodge and a retreat house there, as a tourist attraction to generate money for the town. The Open Space Institute, a New York City-based group formed to acquire and protect land for environmental purposes, gave a $237,000 grant and $25,000 in associated transaction costs to Berne in the deal. The town also got $125,000 from the Albany County Capital Resource Corporation, so it ultimately paid $112,500. The property was formerly the site of the Center for Wisdom & Compassion. Now a Berne advisory board will sort through what happens next. See the full story in The Albany Business Review.