Nonprofit proposes Marion School as foster-care support and counseling center; board moves to consult attorney

A nonprofit group presented plans to repurpose the vacant Marion School building as a foster-care support and counseling center during a special meeting of the Cleveland County Board of Education on Oct. 7, and the board voted to enter a closed session to consult its attorney about the property.

Jeff Marburger, founder of the 1 More, 1 Less project, told the board the organization envisions three primary uses for Marion School: connecting foster and adoptive families with local churches across North Carolina, partnering with a counseling organization to provide on-site therapy offices, and operating community recreation and after-school space. “Our vision is threefold for this building,” Marburger said, saying the group would use portions of the building as demand grows rather than renovate the entire facility at once.

Marburger said the organization had received a $750,000 grant and planned a capital campaign to raise an additional $750,000. He described the school as roughly 68,000 square feet and said the group’s designed programmatic footprint started around 17,000 square feet, with plans to “grow into the building.” He said the group is not a licensing agency and does not plan to house…