Photos: Berne park heralded to the press

The Enterprise — Marcello Iaia

A political pairing: Kevin Crosier, right, Berne’s supervisor, and Gary Domalewicz, an Albany County legislator, talk before taking the podium in Albany on Feb. 6 to celebrate the purchase of property in Berne for recreation and conservation. The purchase was funded by the town; the private not-for-profit Open Space Institute; and the county’s Capital Resource Corporation, a public authority chaired by Domalewicz. The land is adjacent to hundreds of acres of state forest land and is considered by the institute to be in a crucial area for conservation in the Capital Region. The portion not subject to conservation easements is where leaders hope retreats, weddings, conferences, and camps will bring business to the local economy. For the full story, go to altamontenterprise.com.

The Enterprise — Marcello Iaia

Elected leaders from county, town, and state government — including Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, displayed on one of several screens — were on hand last Friday to talk about what economic opportunities they planned to see from the purchase of more than 350 acres in Berne. The press conference was held after the closing on Jan. 30, though the talks with the former owners, the Buddhist Tenzin Gyatso Institute, had started about a year ago. After the purchase was announced at a Berne Town Board meeting in September, board members commented on its suddenness, and local residents submitted petitions and questioned whether the town needed more park space. For the full story, go to altamontenterprise.com on Sept. 18, 2014.