A new purpose was proposed for an abandoned football field in Summit Hill.

The concept for a mining life museum, complete with a Switchback Railroad simulator, was unveiled during an informal meeting in the borough Wednesday night.

The museum, which admittedly is years from coming to fruition, would be built on the Ginder Field, which had been the football field for the former Summit Hill High School. Summit Hill High School closed in the 1960s when the joint Panther Valley School District was created.

The proposal on creating a mining life museum was presented by David Wargo, president of Summit Hill Borough Council, who clarified that he was presenting the idea strictly as an individual citizen.

He said the topic will be placed on the agenda of the next borough council meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday in the borough hall.

Wargo said he is a lifelong resident of the borough, and his family has been in the community since the 1800s. His grandfather and other relatives mined coal.

“Their work is what made me successful; made me what I am today,” he said.

“I have a deep love for the borough,” he added.

Wargo said such a museum could stimulate economic growth, making the community viable for tourism.

He came up with the idea after viewing a presentation in Gettysburg that highlighted the lives of people immediately after the Civil War.

For such a project in Summit Hill to become reality, a suitable site is needed. After scouring the community, he determined that the only location large enough to accommodate such a museum and augmented parking would be the Ginder Field.

Wargo said mining was the heritage of the Panther Valley area and “coal is still being mined in the Mammoth Vein.”

He said, “One story not being told is about our ancestors.”

“Nobody knows about our forefathers who mined the coal, who came here as immigrants, who were persecuted,” he said. Such history could be presented in a museum as Wargo suggested.

About 25 people attended the meeting, held in the Hilltop Community Center. Among them were borough council members Karen Ruzicka, Marlene Basiago and Edward Kane. Ruzicka questioned traffic patterns for such a museum, and Wargo explained that would have to be discussed as the plans progress.

David Hiles, owner of Hiles Brothers Plumbing and Heating, and Dr. Lou Vermillion, a retired dentist, both said they support the proposal.

Also present were Lansford Borough Council President Bruce Markovich and Jared Soto, economic specialist with the Carbon Chamber and Economic Development Corporation. A representative of the office of state Sen. David Argall attended, too.

Wargo gave a ballpark estimate of $7 million to $10 million as a cost of the project. He said that about one-third to one-half of the Ginder Field would be utilized for the museum.

He also stated that a proposed amusement tax on each admission ticket could generate $30,000 to $90,000 annually for the borough.

Hiles said, “I’m 100 percent behind this.” He asked where the financing would occur.

Wargo said he looked at 14 different funding methods. However, one of the first steps is to form a nonprofit organization that he suggested be called the Panther Valley Foundation.

Hiles also asked if such a project could be constructed because the state Department of Environmental Resources has imposed a moratorium on new sewer connections. Wargo said he discussed this matter with Argall and was informed that sometimes exemptions are given to moratoriums if it stimulates economic growth.

In further supporting the proposal, Hiles said, “We have to do something in this town.”

Borough resident Mary Ann Szczecina said she recalls the crowds that would fill Ginder Stadium when it was used for football games. “It’s sad to look at the field and see nothing going on there,” she said.

Szczecina added, “I’m definitely for it.”

Vermillion termed the proposal “a great opportunity to increase business in Summit Hill. I’m 100 percent supportive.”