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Star-Bulletin file photo
People still climb the Haiku stairs though they were
officially closed because of disrepair in 1987. The
stairway and mountaintop offer spectacular views
of Windward Oahu. Repairs to the stairs are scheduled
to begin soon, possibly by the end of this year.

Funding set aside
for ‘stairway to heaven’;
repairs could be
completed next year

By Steve Murray
Star-Bulletin

Sometime in 2001, the public might once again climb Haiku Valley's famed "stairway to heaven."

That's because repairs could begin by the end of this year.

The City Council approved a report Wednesday to allow the mayor to accept the famed hiking spot from the state. The area was given to the state by the federal government on July 13.

The Haiku stairs, commonly called the stairway to heaven because its 3,922 metal steps climbs 2,800 feet up the Haiku Ridge, offers some of the best views of Windward Oahu and Honolulu. Disrepair caused the stairs to be closed to the public in 1987.

The stairs were originally built as an access route to the Haiku Navy Radio Station. The station produced Omega radio signals used for navigation.

Mary Schmidtke, City Councilman Steve Holmes' senior adviser, said funds for the repairs to the site are included in the current budget. About $550,000 has been designated for the restoration of the access road, trail and stairs.

For the fiscal year 2001 budget, the funding jumps to $1.3 million. In addition to repairing the stairs and access area, money will also be spent to protect cultural sites in the area. At least one heiau and terraced fields once used for growing taro are in the area.

Jeff Mikulina, director of the Hawaii chapter of the Sierra Club, called the steep hike one of the state's best, saying it's a beautiful area and a wonderful hike.

A large portion of the funds to repair the stairs will come from the federal government. Under a program called The Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21st Century, the state will be reimbursed for 80 percent of the cost of the project.

Schmidtke said the City Council hopes to turn over the maintenance of the stairs to a nonprofit group once repairs have been made. Mikulina said the Sierra Club would be interested in adding the site to its list of volunteer projects.

"Our group is active every weekend maintaining trails," he said. "We look forward to working with them."

Schmidtke said no date has been set for the beginning of the project or for the opening of the stairs to the public.

To use the money approved for the restoration in the fiscal year 2000 budget, contracts would have to awarded by the end of the year.