Mayor Marty Small Sr. announced on Thursday that the city of Jersey Shore is auctioning off the opportunity to press the button that will trigger the implosion of the now-closed Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino.
The city plans to donate the money raised to the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City.
“Personally, I’m a pretty ambitious man. I want to raise at least a million dollars,” Small said at a press conference on Thursday.
The money will be used to expand and support the club’s operations for its three locations in the city, Stephanie Koch, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City, told CNN.
The club serves as many as 1,200 children a year and has expanded its operations to 12 hours a day during the pandemic, Koch said.
“The Boys & Girls Club is no longer a simple after-school program,” Koch said at the press conference, noting that the club now offers meals, academic enrichment, and staff development programs.
Originally scheduled for New Year’s Eve, demolition of the building is now scheduled for early February. Bidding is already live online with “a lot of action already,” said the mayor.
Trump Plaza announced its closure in 2014. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn currently owns the site, Small said.
“Listen, make no mistake about it. Carl Icahn is a major player in this city and we appreciate all the contributions he has made to the great city of Atlantic City,” said Small, adding that he hopes the future development will be what kind of part of family entertainment.
He said his administration will help in every way for the future of the site.
By the time of the shutdown, Trump owned only the name attached to the Taj, while Icahn controlled the rest.
CNN has contacted a Trump organization spokesperson for comment.