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October 16, 2026 - The City of Hazleton, Pennsylvania is looking to turn a former Ollie's Bargain Outlet store into a mine tour.
The city council approved the land sale four to one at its meeting earlier this week. The city plans to purchase the building for roughly $1.3 million. It hopes to turn the vacant building into a mining attraction featuring a coal breaker and brewery.
 Hazleton Mayor Jeff Cusat says the tour would preserve the city's rich mining history.
"We were a coal mining town. You know, we were one of the largest in the area. Biggest anthracite comes from northeast Pennsylvania and the location in this project is to emphasize the first coal breaker, colliery that was in Hazleton," said Hazleton Mayor Jeff Cusat.
Councilman Tony Colombo was the only no vote. He says he's not entirely against the project, but has some concerns.
"It is a good idea, but there's so many options, like how's it going to go? It could fail, it might not. But, ultimately I feel that the taxpayers are going to pay for it and with a clear conscience I could not vote on it to put more tax on the city residents. It isn't fair. They're taxed to the limit," said Hazleton City Councilmember Tony Colombo.
The project is expected to cost $17-20 million and will likely take 3 to 4 years to complete. Mayor Cusat says they have a long way to go.
“The underground transformation, the underground cleaning up. Changing out what needs to be changed out and also putting up a very large structure. So, things in government take a long time," Mayor Cusat noted.
With the coal breaker, it would be the tallest structure in the city. The closing date is December 31.
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