The land at the main trail head down below was part of the former USCG station which, under federal law, was conveyed to DHHL around 2000. 

It's a major white elephant for DHHL because it's useless for their primary mission, which does NOT include managing  dangerous tourist attractions. Can't blame them for not wanting to deal with the Stairs. 

The reality is no private entity could own/manage the Stairs because the liability is too great; it's also very doubtful that they could generate enough income to keep the Stairs in good repair, pay for liability insurance, etc.  As noted in the article, no other government agency (like CCH's Parks & Rec or DLNR) has stepped up to take over so there aren't many realistic alternatives. 

Again, running tourist attractions is NOT the job of BWS and I, as a ratepayer, do not blame them for trying to get rid of the Stairs, one way or another.  In fact, I applaud them for finally dealing with the issue.