Tuition varies widely by location (there is a recent thread on the topic), but 4 hrs/week for $175 seems on par with what I've seen. I pay about $600/month for 20 hrs/week, not including comp fees, etc. At 4 hours per week, you are probably looking at a more low-key team experience.
Like I said, AAU seems to vary widely by state/region. My state has a state-based recreational team track that falls under the umbrella of AAU. This means there are quite a few AAU meets around me, but they are usually small (often held within the host gym vs. a separate venue). However, the emergence of Xcel has resulted in many gyms moving away from this state-based AAU track. For example, my current gym has only USAG programs -- JO and Xcel. Old gym has all three tracks. In any event, I'm not surprised that you have to travel to find AAU meets depending on where you are.
The million dollar question is what do you and your daughter want from gymnastics? Does she want to do gymnastics plus other activities and sports? How much time and money do you want to commit as a family? If you are not sure about the answers to these questions, then maybe sit tight and see how this year plays out. If it's a brand new program at your gym, then there will probably be some growing pains at first. Is it your daughter's first year competing? Are there other team options within your gym?
As far as communication goes, it seems this is a common complaint among gym parents. My gym is pretty good about communicating administrative information (schedule changes, meet info, etc.), but communication regarding progress and skills is pretty non-existent unless I ask.
Good luck!
