Steveston British Columbia - City council backed away from a fourth attempt to move interurban 1220 to Britannia Heritage Shipyard on Monday.
 
In a 4-3 decision, council rejected Britannia as the permanent home for the tram, which is currently stationed in a barn in Steveston Park.
 
"By the staff report and by what I've been hearing in the community, it just didn't seem like a good fit," said Coun. Rob Howard.
 
Accompanying the plan was a $1.3-million price tag to move, restore, and enclose the tram in a new barn.
 
But civic politicians also suggested the park - the preferred location among residents who spoke at Monday's council meeting - isn't the right spot either.
 
Two motions asking staff to re-examine Steveston Park as a permanent site for the tram display also failed to pass.
 
That leaves the tram in limbo, as it has been since the city bought it May 2006.
 
"Council is quite divided on what should be done," said Mayor Malcolm Brodie, who suggested council and staff have more work to do to bridge the gap.
 
"We're going to have to look at some creative ideas and get some kind of a strong consensus on council to move forward."
 
One idea, floated by resident Peter Mitchell, is to move the tram completely away from Steveston. Mitchell suggested the tram could run from Terra Nova to the Olympic oval or relocate it near River Rock Casino Resort.
 
Another idea is incorporating the tram into a new museum - a future civic building council recently endorsed as part of a comprehensive heritage strategy.
 
It's unclear whether staff will again try to pitch a new plan for Britannia.
 
A similar council vote took place last October, when local politicians abandoned plans to relocate the tram to Britannia. Before that, council rejected a plan to build a car barn at Britannia to facilitate a tourist tram route along the Steveston waterfront.
 
Council also voted to move the tram to Britannia in January 2001, but that was met with resistance from the Steveston Interurban Restoration Society, which tried to move the tram to Surrey.
 
How they voted:
 
The motion:  The Steveston Interurban tram be permanently located in the historic zone of Britannia Heritage Shipyard.
 
No:  Councillors Cynthia Chen, Derek Dang, Sue Halsey-Brandt and Rob Howard
 
Yes:  Mayor Malcolm Brodie and councillors Linda Barnes and Harold Steves
 
Absent:  Councillors Evelina Halsey-Brandt and Bill McNulty.
 
Author unknown.