City Administration urged to dismantle Haʻikū Stairs to halt illegal trespassing, mitigate City taxpayer liability, address neighborhood disturbances and protect the environment

HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I – In response to decades of community concerns and significant  liability issues, Honolulu City Council Vice Chair Esther Kiaʻāina has introduced a  

resolution urging the City Administration to remove the Haʻikū Stairs. 

“Removal of the stairs is the only viable solution to mitigate liability and legal issues that  have plagued the City, reduce disturbances to local neighborhoods, increase public safety and  protect the environment,” said Kia‘āina, who represents Windward O‘ahu. “We urge the  Administration to use the $1 million appropriated in the approved City Operating Budget to  dismantle the stairs.” 

“As we reflect on lessons learned from the pandemic, including unsustainable tourism and its  impacts, it is high time that we address the adverse impacts to communities and natural  resources and prioritize quality of life for our local residents.” 

Managed access is complicated and legally complex, and depending on the access point,  would require legal agreements with numerous landowners, both public and private.  “Proponents have had decades to facilitate a legal access point. At some point we have to  prioritize mitigating liabilities to City taxpayers and addressing the safety issues and  significant disturbances impacting nearby residents. Additionally, it could be difficult to  ensure that hikers would abide by the managed access protocols, as was learned when the  Coast Guard allowed access through the Omega Station and it reported continued problems  with people circumventing and ignoring its procedures. 

Residents who live near the closed trail’s access points report decades of disruptive  

trespassing, often in the wee hours of the morning. Hikers from around the world and  Hawai‘i have demonstrated blatant disregard and disrespect for residents of Ha‘ikū Valley  and it has only worsened with social media. In addition to slamming car doors and loud  voices causing dogs to bark in the middle of the night, there have been reports of cars  blocking driveways and hampering emergency vehicle passage, property damage, property  theft, hikers walking through private property, hikers relieving themselves on private  property, trash and threats of physical harm to residents. 

“Trespassers who use the stairs have increasingly strained the resources of our local first  responders and enforcement agencies,” said Kia‘āina. In addition to costs absorbed by the 

Honolulu Police Department (HPD) and the Honolulu Fire Department (HFD), according to  the approved Operating Budget, the City expects to continue to spend approximately  $250,000 annually for security. An HPD operation focused on illegal stair climbers netted six  arrests and the issuance of 93 citations over a 10-day period from March 14 to 23 of this  year. Additionally, special duty HPD officers reported turning away 11,427 individuals  between August 11, 2017 and March 2020, which does not include individuals attempting to  hike from Moanalua or other access points on the Windward side. Illegal hiking in the valley  caused service calls to HPD to skyrocket from 20 in 2011 to about 160 in 2017. HFD  responded to 11 rescue calls in 2018. 

As noted in the Final Environmental Impact Statement prepared by the Honolulu Board of  Water Supply in January of 2020, dismantling of the stairs would address disturbances in  local neighborhoods, increase public safety by eliminating dangerous rescue calls for thrill seekers on this trail and reduce the pressure on first responders and enforcement agencies,  remove the City’s staggering liability as landowner, and protect the environment by reducing  negative human impacts and spread of invasive species around surrounding watershed lands. 

“The Ha‘ikū Stairs were never intended to be a visitor destination. The stairs were built for a  few U.S. Coast Guard and military personnel to use for the maintenance of a long-outmoded  communication facility that was decommissioned more than 20 years ago. “It is time we  allow our local residents in Ha‘ikū – and the majestic ‘āina that overlooks Windward O‘ahu,  to heal – by removing the stairs,” said Kia‘āina.  

Honolulu City Council Vice Chair Esther Kia‘āina represents District 3, which includes  ʻĀhuimanu, Heʻeia, Haʻikū, Kāneʻohe, Maunawili, Kailua, Olomana, Enchanted Lake and  Waimānalo. 

Res21-154 https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/document-download?id=11354 Track the legislation here: https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/measure/1904