ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

                                                Date: June 9, 1997
                                                File No: 4102-1
                                                CC File No: 5558/5051

   TO:       Vancouver City Council

   FROM:     General Manager of Engineering Services

   SUBJECT:  Interurban Car Fund Raising 


   RECOMMENDATION

        A.   THAT Council approve the application to heritage societies,
             namely, British Columbia Heritage Trust, in an effort to raise
             funds for Interurban Cars 1207 and 1231.

        B.   THAT Council approve efforts to raise funds for Interurban
             Cars 1207 and 1231 through promotion of requests for private
             and corporate donations.

   COUNCIL POLICY

   Council supports preserving and promoting street car heritage.

   Council has established transportation priorities which emphasize
   encouraging transit.


   PURPOSE

   This report seeks Council s approval for Engineering staff to solicit
   funds for Interurban Cars 1207 and 1231 through application to heritage
   societies and public promotion of request for donations.

   BACKGROUND

   The City has entered into a lease for Interurban Car 1207, housed at the
   6th Avenue and Moberly site, and Car 1231 which will be moved from
   Victoria to Vancouver this summer.

   As a first step toward the establishment of the Downtown Historic
   Railway, the City intends to exhibit these Cars, conduct demonstration
   runs, and coordinate related educational programs. In order to do this,
   further work and funding are required.  Included in the restoration
   project is the building of the appropriate infrastructure to support
   operation: power supply, trolley poles and wires, stations at each end
   of the 1.5 km track between Moberly and Anderson, and a permanent
   display building.

   An application was made to the Canada/British Columbia Infrastructure
   Program for $160,000 to cover installation of an overhead power system
   and station improvements.  We expect to be advised whether this project
   received an Infrastructure award by late June, 1997.

   With or without an Infrastructure award, sources of funding are
   required.  The City must contribute one third of the award amount to the
   project.  Further, the application amount does not include the $100,000
   estimated cost for the construction of a permanent display building or
   any other on-going operating expenses. 

   DISCUSSION

   Staff have considered several fundraising options.  Initial fundraising
   will include application to heritage societies and promotion of the
   project to request donations. 

   BC Heritage Trust is one heritage society that the City will apply to
   for funding.  At this preliminary stage, it is not clear whether and to
   what degree this project is eligible for funding.

   Promotion of the project to request donations will include the
   distribution of a brochure and the display of posters in Seaboard bus
   shelters. Once the City is advised on the Infrastructure Program award,
   a news release will be distributed to introduce the promotion campaign.

   The City is also pursuing other methods of raising funds and reducing
   costs: The B.C. Film Commission has been advised that production
   companies may pay to use Car 1207 in filming; Staff are exploring and
   promoting opportunities for firms to donate materials and labour to the
   project; Volunteers from TRAMS (Transit Museum Society), a non-profit
   society sponsored by BC Transit, are doing minor repairs on Car 1207 and
   will collect donations at weekend open houses of Car 1207 in July; 
   Volunteers from TRAMS will also conduct the demonstration runs once the
   Cars are operating.

   Other fund raising will be considered once these avenues have been
   explored. One option may be to hire a promotional company to conduct
   fund raising.

   CONCLUSION

   With Council s support of these initial fund raising efforts, the City
   will be closer to displaying and operating this unique piece of
   Vancouver heritage.  This is an important step in the further
   development of a Downtown Historic Railway.

                              * * * * * * * * * *