Encinitas city officials are asking the public to bear with them as they pursue repair options for the now-closed, wooden staircase that accesses the D Street Beach. “We just ask for a lot of patience from the community,” City Manager Jennifer Campbell said near the end of Wednesday’s City Cou ncil meeting. “We know how important it is to you and we will work as fast as we can to get that reopened.” Encinitas officials announced Tuesday that they were closing the popular beach access point, due to what a press release termed “emergency structural concerns.” D Street Beach is between the Moonlight Beach and Swami’s access points. On Wednesday, Campbell said a team that included a city engineer, a building official and a contracting company representative inspected the staircase Tuesday after concerns were raised about the structure, and they determined the closure had to happen now. “Unfortunately, we found definitely some structural deficiencies within that staircase,” she said. “We felt that it was not safe for public use.” The top and bottom of the staircase have now been blocked, and signs have been posted informing people of the closure, Campbell said. An emergency declaration regarding the staircase will come before the council at its April 23 meeting, and more information about the repair options is expected to be available then. “We do want to expedite those (repairs), hence the emergency declaration,” Campbell told the council Wednesday. While the staircase is popular, there is another way to reach D Street Beach, she noted. “The good news is you can still access D Street Beach from Moonlight (Beach),” Campbell said. “It’s just a couple hundred yards — It’s not a bad walk.” And, a recent beach sand replenishment project have made it even easier, she added. For project updates, visit: encinitasca.gov. ...read more read less