During a state-mandated public hearing last week on plans for a $113.3 million renovation and construction project at Mt. Lebanon High School, the group of about three dozen speakers appeared to be evenly divided among those for and against the project.

On one side was Elaine Labalme, who has been a vocal supporter throughout the design phase and who has repeatedly told the board her family moved to Mt. Lebanon specifically so her young son could attend its schools.

Mrs. Labalme favors the plan to provide a "like new" renovation to most of the current high school and construction of a new athletic building. The new school would hold three gyms, an eight-lane swimming pool, a new academic wing, technology and laboratory upgrades and spaces for collaborative learning.

On the opposite side was Rudy Bies, a 1964 Mt. Lebanon High School graduate, who was critical of what he called the grand scope of the renovation, saying that in his day, students played football on regular dirt and grass and sometimes had their wrestling practice in the hallways.

The Mt. Lebanon debate may be echoed in other communities as the project is among the approximately $453 million in proposed major school construction projects in the region.

In addition, at least $286 million in major school construction projects are currently under way, including new high schools in Bethel Park and Moon Area, renovated middle schools in Upper St. Clair and new elementary schools in the North Hills School District.

The biggest concern among the opponents of the Mt. Lebanon project is the 14 percent hike in school property taxes -- from 24.11 to 27.52 mills -- that has been proposed to meet the project costs and other district obligations, including teacher pensions.

Taxpayers, like those in Mt. Lebanon, get their chance to voice opinions on the projects as the state requires, under Act 34, known as the "Taj Mahal" act, that all districts hold a public hearing on any major construction projects. Topics at the hearing include an explanation of why the project is necessary; a review of options; project description and expected maximum cost, financing plans and tax implications.

While most school construction projects involve some level of tax hike to finance them, there is good news for residents in districts preparing to go out to bid and some who have recently accepted bids.

Because of the slow economy and dearth of other major construction projects in the region, more contractors are scrambling to bid on school projects, with the competition bringing prices down.

In recent months the Bethel Park, Derry Area, Upper St. Clair and West Mifflin Area school districts have accepted bids on major construction projects that were 17 to 20 percent lower than their projected costs as a result of the competition.

"A few years ago on projects where you would see maybe five or six bidders, you are now seeing 10 or more," said John Taormina, manager of the school construction project management Division of P.J. Dick Inc.

"Competition is stronger so people are willing to make bigger cuts and better deals than two years ago when maybe the plate was a little more full."

That's exactly what happened in the Derry Area School District, where the projected costs for an expanded Grandview Elementary School were $22.5 million, but the actual cost after bids were accepted is $18.8 million, said business manager Joe Koluder. Grandview, where construction started in November, will become the district's sole elementary after its completion, which is slated for August 2012. Two other elementaries will be closed.

"We had many bidders, more than we expected, and it certainly helped to keep the price down," Mr. Kaluder said.

Mr. Taormina said the same appears to be true of suppliers of materials for the projects.

"The people who supply the light fixtures, the HVAC equipment, the drywall or the acoustics are also seeing the market not as favorable. They may be willing to make some deals to keep their important employees busy until the market recovers," he said.

The low bids have allowed some districts to add back into projects items they earlier cut to save costs or to upgrade materials or equipment.

In Bethel Park construction has started on a new $88 million high school in September after being delayed about a year for a court battle over a municipal ordinance. The low bids permitted 25 alternatives costing $2.7 million to be added back into the project, including items such as terrazzo flooring instead of linoleum and equipment for a television studio.

While the lower costs don't mean districts can avoid tax hikes to finance their projects, it certainly helps to lessen the blow.

Among the larger projects currently under way is the Moon Area School District, where a new $65 million high school is under construction as part of a$121.4 million plan that calls for converting the high school to a middle school and demolishing the current middle school.

The project was first approved in 2004 by a Democratic board majority. It was halted in 2005, at a cost of millions in penalties, by a newly elected Republican majority, who started planning for a new middle school and renovated high school. Democrats took control again in 2007 and returned to the original concept.

In the Upper St. Clair School District, construction is under way on a $55 million project to renovate Boyce and Fort Couch middle schools.

The biggest project in the planning stages is a $130 million plan in the Penn Hills School District to build a new high school and an elementary school at the site of the current Dible Elementary.

Only a handful of residents showed up for the district's Act 34 hearing, and the project is continuing in the design phase with hopes of going out to bid in June or July, said Richard Liberto, director of business affairs.

Other projects currently under construction include: a $25 million upgrade and expansion of West Allegheny Senior High School; a $15.5 new wing at Springdale Junior-Senior High School in the Allegheny Valley School District; and a $12.5 renovation and addition at Mars Area High School;

In addition, the North Hills School District is in the midst of an elementary construction project in which a renovated and expanded McIntyre Elementary has been completed at a cost of $16 million. Another $16 million will be spent on the current renovation and expansion of Highcliff Elementary, and a projected $21 million could be spent on Ross Elementary. At the completion of the project, three smaller elementaries will be closed.

In the Steel Valley School District, there is a nearly $3 million expansion of Barrett Elementary under way that will provide more classrooms and a gymnasium.

The Barrett project is the only local school construction project not to be financed with tax dollars. The bill is being paid by William Campbell, a district native and chairman of the technology software company Intuit Inc. and a regular benefactor to the district.

Among the projects in the design phase are a $40.3 million plan in the McKeesport Area School District to build two new schools that will serve elementary and intermediate grades, to renovate a third, and demolish the current Cornell Intermediate School. The plan, which calls for the eventual closure of three elementary schools, will reduce the number of schools from seven to five, said spokeswoman Kristen Davis.

Also on the drawing board is a projected $45 million major renovation of Montour High School, on which bids are expected by March 17; a proposed $35 million to $42 million expansion at Pine-Richland High School; and a $33.7 million new middle school in West Mifflin Area, where work will start when state approval is granted.

The Montour project is another one that has seen delays. The high school auditorium and science labs were closed off in 2007 to begin demolition, but it never started after the bids came in too high in early 2008. The board replaced its architect and construction team in late 2008 and unveiled new plans in 2009. Last week, the board changed construction managers again.

Another proposed construction project is in the Plum Borough School District, where plans call for a new $20.4 million building at the Pivik Elementary site and renovations at Adlai Stevenson and Holiday Park elementaries at a projected costs of $7.5 million and $7.05 million respectively, said spokeswoman Dawn Lynn Check.

In South Fayette, there are no cost projections yet, but the board approved in December a contract with architects to explore the construction of an additional elementary school.

School and construction officials can't say exactly why there is so much school construction either in the works or in the planning at this time, but some speculate that many districts are simply on the same cycle for refurbishing their facilities.

"A lot of the suburbs around here built out at the same time and now the facilities are hitting that age where they need work," said David Hall, director of finance and operations for the North Hills School District. "We built most of our elementary facilities in the 1960s, they are 50 years old and worn out," he said.

Rob Pillar, a principal with Burt Hill architectural and engineering firm, said the state offers reimbursement for renovation and construction projects on buildings every 20 years and generally during that cycle districts find they need to do work.

"Schools are heavily used facilities. The typical high school has 2,000 kids in and out of the front doors every day. A school building is built to last for a long time, but with that kind of traffic, eventually it needs to be updated," Mr. Pillar said.

He said his firm is seeing heavy school construction activity in Cleveland, Boston and Philadelphia as well as in the local area.

In addition to refurbishment, some of the projects include consolidation. Mr. Pillar's firm recently completed a project in the Aliquippa School District, where the district reduced the number of buildings from three to two. The $45 million project included expanding the junior high to become a junior/senior high school that houses grades 7-12 and renovating the elementary school, which houses grades K-6.

Other reasons for the construction and renovation projects involve updating the buildings to accommodate state-of-the-art technology, changes in educational programs, changing security needs and energy efficient equipment. The Aliquippa renovation included a new energy-efficient geothermal heating and cooling system to replace the old boiler system.

Some of the educational changes include special education programs, following the inclusion model, which brings special needs students back to their home districts, and full-day kindergarten, which requires more classroom space for kindergarten programs, Mr. Pillar said.

There is also a desire in some districts for spaces for collaborative learning among students and distance learning - the ability to offer specialized classes to small groups of students from a remote site, Mr. Pillar said.

"You are seeing these projects because communities need to keep up the investment they've made in their buildings," Mr. Pillar said.

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