The Ha'iku Stairs, the 3,932 steps on the Windward side, doesn't have to be the city's white elephant.

But it does deserve one last chance to survive. Barring that, the city should seriously consider tearing it down.

The city had asked the state to take over the stairs under a statewide trails program. Understandably, the state turned it down.

Peter Young, director of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, said there's no compelling reason for the state to take over responsibility of the stairs from the city. Young said the steps had recreational value, but not enough to qualify for inclusion in the state's Na Ala Hele Statewide Trails and Access Program. An exception could be made, but in this case, the state isn't budging.

So it's back to the drawing board. Considering it already spent $875,000 in 2002 to refurbish the steps under former mayor Jeremy Harris' administration in an effort to create a hiking trail, the city bears some responsibility to make at least one last attempt to make good on that past investment. Perhaps the city should call for proposals, which might yield a private group interested in fixing and maintaining the steps as a recreation or tourist destination.

But if there's no interest, then the steps are a potential liability. And if that turns out to be the case, the city should cut its losses and dismantle the "Stairway to Heaven."