ADAMS TWP — Another broker made a verbal offer to lease Mars School District's 150 acres in the interest of accessing the Marcellus Shale Gas Formation.

Dana Richardson, an attorney for the oil and gas acquisitions broker Thomas Development of Lafayette, La., told board members at their meeting Tuesday night the drilling company she represents is in the process of drawing up lease documents for a group of 35 landowners which owns about 1,000 acres adjacent to the school district.

Richardson said the driller, which she did not name, is offering the district $3,000 per acre and 17 percent royalties for the property for a five-year lease. She said the same offer was recently made to the group of landowners.

Richardson said the district would need to provide an answer by Feb. 28 and a check would arrive at district administration offices within 45 days of the district's signing of the lease.

Another broker, Western Land Services, representing Rex Energy, verbally offered the district $3,000 per acre at a December school board meeting, but school board president Kimberly Geyer said the broker denied he made the offer at a meeting with the landowners the next night.

Superintendent William Pettigrew said at Tuesday night's meeting no written offer on per-acre or royalty percentage has arrived from Rex Energy. No verbal offer of royalties was given at the December meeting.