KANE'OHE — Six years after the city spent $875,000 to fix the Ha'iku Stairs, the popular hiking trail remains closed. And the city is now spending thousands on guards to keep trespassers at bay.

But the guards are not always effective, as a recent Honolulu Fire Department helicopter rescue showed. Dozens of people can be seen climbing the stairs weekly.

The status of Ha'iku Stairs has not changed, said city spokesman Bill Brennan.

"The city is still evaluating how it can manage the Ha'iku Stairs and address the concerns of the abutting community and the city's liability concerns," he said.

For fiscal year 2009 the city will spend $55,000 to provide guards at the stairs, Brennan said.

John Flanigan, with The Friends of Haiku Stairs, said: "As long as the city does nothing to bring management to Ha'iku Stairs, it will continue to be more vulnerable to liability claims than if the stairs were opened and properly managed."

Flanigan referred to the helicopter rescue two weeks ago of two men who left the stairs and were hiking across the face of the slope toward the H-3 tunnel.

HFD Capt. Terry Seelig said the hikers' mistake was getting off the marked trail. They called for help when one of them became concerned about his ability to continue, Seelig said. The slope is steep and while it wasn't raining during the rescue, the mountain is known for cloud cover, gusty winds and frequent rainfall, he said.

The hikers put themselves and the whole rescue team at risk, Seelig said.

"It's always a hazard to put a helicopter close to the cliff or mountain," he said. "Lifting people in a basket from a position like that is inherently risky and even though we do it well, it's a danger."

Creating a management plan and opening the stairs with volunteer docents to educate people could avoid rescues, liability concerns and problems with the neighbors, Flanigan said.

Neighbors have complained about inconsiderate hikers trespassing through their property at all hours to make the hike.

The problem peaked eight months after the repairs were completed in October 2002 and the city was struggling over the wording of warning signs that would be installed along the trail.

In the meantime hundreds of hikers created havoc in the surrounding community.

Neighbors appealed to area representatives and Ha'iku Valley landowners to block access completely to the valley.

Many attempts were made to resolve the issues; all failed.

But hikers still go there and Flanigan said if the city wanted it could find a way to open the stairs, and that could solve the problems neighbors have now.

"(Neighbors) should be the strongest ones in favor of it to get people out of their backyards," he said, adding that a management plan would help avoid unnecessary rescues because education could be part of the hike experience.