HONOLULU(KHON2) -- A court halts the scheduled demolition of Haiku Stairs. The temporary injunction was handed down Thursday by the court of appeals.
"It's great news for us," Justin Scorza, vice president of Friends of Haiku Stairs, said.
They are celebrating what they consider a victory in their ongoing battle with the city to preserve the famous and controversial hike across the Koolau mountain range.
"We've been trying tirelessly to stop the city's ill conceived effort to destroy the stairs instead of opening them from manage to access," Scorza said. "We got news from the appellate court that they were granting us injunction to halt the city's demolition of the haiku stairs until we can have a hearing."
The Friends of Haiku Stairs filed a lawsuit months ago claiming the city failed to comply with historic preservation regulations when they decided to dismantle the stairs. Scorza said they appealed to stop that from happening while their court case proceeds.
In a statement the a spokesperson for the City said:
"Courts routinely grant temporary orders, to preserve the status quo and give the court time to consider a case more fully. The City believes that the facts and the law are on our side, as two Circuit Court judges have already ruled, and we look forward to presenting our case to the ICA on Wednesday."
The city spokesperson also wants to remind the public the Haiku Stairs remain closed. He said the contractor has already begun removing bolts from the stairs, hiking up them could pose a serious safety risk.
While the fate of the Stairway to Heaven remains unknown, Scorza said the city could still reopen Haiku Stairs using plans created by the previous administration
"It's been abandoned and we never really been given a good reason why," Scorza added. " We think that they should reconsider that. And we should help these neighbors by creating a safe access trail that doesn't go through their neighborhood. That's what we're fighting for."
"Why is this so important to keep the stairs?" KHON asked.
"The stairs our historic treasure," he replied. "They've been around for over 80 years. And many people have enjoyed them for recreational purposes, but even before that, the stairs were used at an instrumental part of winning World War II as part of the Haiku radio station, later the Omega station."
Scorza said what's happening with Haiku Stairs almost happened to Koko Crater stairs.
"The exact same. It really is. Military staircase, on city land that is used for hiking, recreational purposes could be enjoyed," he explained. "That one was managed to be saved by the Kokonut Koalition. They're heroes in our eyes. And we admire the work they did. And we want to do the same thing."
Scorza said they will hold a protest at Koko Crater trail Saturday at 8 a.m. to raise awareness for their fight to save Haiku stairs. They chose Koko Crater because it is an example of how the city, and a non profit, can work together, allowing public access to a popular hiking spot.
The Intermediate Court of Appeals (CAAP-24-0000074) will hold a hearing regarding the injunction 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 26th.
