Update from the CEO
I am very pleased to share that both Saucon Valley School District and Bethlehem Area School District have voted to renew our Charter through December 2026.
The renewal documents include a provision that allows Lehigh Valley Academy to move to our new facility at 2040 Avenue C (the FLSmidth building).
Now that we have the zoning and charter approvals, we are on track to move forward with the purchase of the new building at the start of the year. Once we bid out all of the work, we hope to start the renovation in April 2022.
It looks like a move in the summer of 2023 is becoming a reality!
There is still a lot of work ahead of us, but getting all of these approvals means that the biggest hurdles have been conquered!
Update from the CEO, August 2021
Dear LVA Community,
As you know, Lehigh Valley Academy (LVA) recognized that owning our own facility rather than continuing to rent space was the way to fix our facility costs and be fiscally responsible long-term.
LVA’s lease at our current location ends in September 2023. Therefore, we had to find a building that LVA could move into at the end of our lease in the summer of 2023. The FLSmidth building seems to be the solution. The building is located on the corner of Avenue C and Schoenersville Rd (across the street from Wawa).
I am very pleased to share that the Bethlehem Zoning Hearing Board granted our request for a variance at the FLSmidth building. This was a very important first step in our process of purchasing the building. We did not have anyone at the meeting who came out in opposition of our request. Please note that in order for this to be official, we will have to wait to receive the decision in writing which can take up to 30 days. There is also an appeals period.
The next step will be the charter application for Bethlehem and Saucon Valley School Districts in order to get permission to move the school at the start of the 2023-2024 school year.
Kind regards,
Susan Mauser
CEO