Bids for Pine-Richland High School's expansion and renovation project came in lower than expected, at about $35 million, school board directors were told Thursday.

The Pine-Richland School Board will vote Monday on awarding a construction bid at its 7:30 p.m. meeting at the district administration building, 702 Warrendale Road, Gibsonia.

"We were really happy (with the bidding)," said Cassandra Renninger, project manager for Eckles Architecture and Engineering. "The numbers are lower than anticipated."

The bulk of the construction project will be the addition of a "STEM" wing for science, technology, engineering and math classrooms.

Ms. Renninger and representatives for P.J. Dick construction management company presented the bids at a meeting of the school board's building and grounds committee Thursday night, explaining the costs for different alternatives.

Although no votes were taken, committee Chairman A. Robert Necciai took an informal poll on the various options and found the board favored replacing the building's roof, renovating the music department's space, improving the Large Group Instruction room with new furniture and technological improvements, and upgrading site lighting and surveillance equipment throughout the campus.

Committee members did not support renovating athletic facilities or the family and consumer science classrooms.