CHERRY GROVE, SC (WBTW) – The process to repair public beach access spots in Cherry Grove damaged by Hurricane Matthew is now under way.

City officials say more than 30 dune walkovers, stairs, and related structures suffered varying degrees of damage by the hurricane, and 95 percent of them were in the Cherry Grove section of North Myrtle Beach.  The City of North Myrtle Beach put out bids for repairs just last week.

“In North Myrtle Beach, for our nine miles of beach, it was the Cherry Grove section that got whipped by Hurricane Matthew,” North Myrtle Beach Spokesperson Pat Dowling said.

Though its been almost four months since the storm, many walkovers and public access routes still need repairs. North Myrtle Beach officials say the city had to prioritize how it used cleanup funds and fixing infrastructure on the beach wasn’t first on their list of priorities.

“The primary focus for the city was storm debris and collection, getting everything out of the neighborhoods and out of the public rights of way. That’s been done and now we’re able to focus on this,” Pat Dowling said.

Of the estimated $130,000 in walkover repairs, the city plans to pay up front, but expects FEMA to reimburse 75 percent of the cost. Dowling says he hopes the work will start mid- March and many residents say it can’t come soon enough.

“I get several calls every week, ‘When will the structures be repaired and put back?’  Fortunately it occurred in October, when the tourism season is largely over,” Dowling said.

Brigitte Steiber has come to Cherry Grove for the last three winters  and is among those wondering when her beach will get the necessary improvements.

“I walk down here every day for the three months that I’m here and I love it, but there’s a lot of damage here. They’re not done yet,” Brigitte Steiber said. “I still love it though, i’d rather be here than anywhere else.”

City officials say the goal is to finish repairs to the walkovers and public beach access by Easter Sunday.