HELENA — The stairs at the parking deck by the Cinemark movie theater in Helena are closed, one set had actually been closed for years. Viewers John, Jean, Brendon and Maggie asked why the stairs are closed, and if they will get fixed.

There were two sets of stairs from the parking deck by the movie theater, one outside set and one covered set. City of Helena officials said the outside set of stairs had been closed to visitors for several years.

“The fill that area was built on, for whatever reason, settled over time, and underneath those stairs just became unstable,” city of Helena transportation systems director David Knoepke said.

Knoepke said the plan was to demolish the outside stairs and leave the covered stairs, but when demolition work started in the fall, the plan changed.

“There was additional damaged caused underneath, not the structure itself, but the stairs themselves, not only the outside but the inside stairwell,” Knoepke said.

The covered staircase is closed due to that damage.

Now, city officials are working to address the unexpected damage and get the stairs fixed, although work will not be able to start until spring at the earliest.

“That may take a little longer because we didn’t have the budget set aside for those ones,” Knoepke said.

It is important to note the covered stairs are closed for a reason, so people are asked to stay off of them.

“The public shouldn’t be using them,” Knoepke said. “It’s a safety precaution by the city.”