Mt. Lebanon residents got their first glimpse at possible designs for a new or renovated high school and at the price tag, which could be as high as nearly $132 million if a new building is constructed.

The projected tax hikes connected to the various alternatives range from increases of $45 a month to $65 a month, according to a presentation given by architects Celli-Flynn Brennan Architects & Planners at a public forum Tuesday night. Those amounts are based on a home assessed at $225,000, the average sales price of a Mt. Lebanon home in the past year.

The current high school is built in six different sections labeled Buildings A-F. It encompasses 545,255 square feet of space, which officials say is about 100,000 square feet more than is needed.

Heating and cooling that space is a major expense for the district, said Superintendent John Allison. He said the 2006-07 cost for heat, air conditioning and electricity at the high school was $974,121, which is about 57 percent of the district's utility costs.

A renovation that reduced the size of the building would save utility costs, the superintendent said.

The architects presented four plans to the estimated 400 people who gathered in the high school auditorium for the forum.

Alternative 1 calls for renovation of the systems in the existing high school, including mechanical, roofing, asbestos abatement and minimal site work at a projected cost of $79.8 million. This alternative also would address some handicapped accessibility issues.

What the architects referred to as Alternative 1-A would include upgrades of the existing systems and a renovation or rebuilding of Building C, the six-story wing of the high school that was built in 1972.

Currently, Building C has cafeterias on three floors. With a renovated building, a new cafeteria would be built on one floor, and academic space would be renovated on three floors. The building also would include the library. The projected price for this alternative is $97.3 million.

Alternative 2 calls for major renovations and additions to the building that would result in a reduction of space to 440,000 square feet. The work would include the demolition of Buildings A, D and C and the construction of new classroom wings, a mechanical plant and an athletic wing.

When finished, Alternative 2 would include 45 percent existing building and 55 percent new construction, with a new six-lane pool. It would keep the existing fine arts facilities, which would be renovated. The cost of Alternative 2 was projected at $118.7 million.

Alternative 3 would involve completely new construction of the high school with new athletic, academic and fine arts facilities. It would be an L-shaped building along Horseman and Stadium drives.

Alternative 3 would preserve Building B, an older wing of the high school along Cochran Road for administrative offices. Architect Thomas Celli said there was overwhelming sentiment in the community to preserve Building B for historic purposes.

This alternative also would provide 440,000 square feet of space between the school building and administrative center.

Alternative 3 would be the most expensive plan, with a price tag projected at $131.7 million.

The alternatives that include renovation of classroom areas would create classrooms that are 800 square feet. Currently, classrooms range from 550 feet to 750 feet.

With the renovation and new construction models, architects are looking at a design that would include a central area for the cafeteria, library and media lab, surrounded by academic areas and fine arts.

Residents at the meeting asked questions about the designs and the financing, but few offered their preference on which plan the district should choose.

The school board plans to display the designs at the community's Aug. 1 First Friday event and to offer tours of the current high school sometime in August.

The architects will give another update of the project at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 11 in the high school library, and the project will be discussed at the school board meeting that follows that night at 7:30 p.m.

It also will be discussed again at the April 18 regular school board meeting and at the Aug. 27 meeting of the design advisory committee.

Another discussion of the project alternatives will be held at the Sept. 8 school board discussion meeting. Board action to choose an alternative is expected at the Sept. 15 regular school board meeting.

The district plans to put the architects' presentation on its Web site.