A spokesman for the mayor’s office told West Philly Local today that the demolition of the Windermere Court Apartments at 48th and Walnut Streets in West Philadelphia will begin Monday.

“The city and the owner have come to agreement and the building demolition will commence on Monday,” said Mark McDonald, a spokesman in Mayor Michael Nutter’s office. “The property owner is the one to talk to about the retrieval of anything inside the building. It is structurally unsound and has been declared imminently dangerous by Licenses and Inspections. But again, it’s under the owner’s control.”

The Windermere Court building was partially destroyed by fire on January 10. Residents have been pressing city officials and the owners of the building for access to retrieve their belongings and search for pets, which they have been denied. A barbed wire fence was erected around much of the building.

Many residents have organized their own security for the building to watch over what might remain from their belongings and to look for pets that were left behind during the fire and may still be alive.

“My biggest frustration is that we know that there are still pets in there alive,” said Lara Figueroa, a former Windermere resident.

Residents and the animal rescue group City Kitties are holding a rally tomorrow at 2 p.m. to protest the lack of information and cooperation from the building’s owners, who were not available for comment.

A large water main broke earlier today near 38th and Spruce Streets in West Philly. No injuries have been reported, but at least one car was submerged to the door handles. The southbound lanes of 38th Street between Market and Baltimore Avenue are closed and probably will remain closed well into the evening.

John Digiulio, a spokesman for the Water Department, said the crews on the scene are still unsure what caused the break in the 16-inch main pipe.

“The winter months are not very kind to our infrastructure,” he said.

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Digiulio said that construction crews had been working in the area before the break.

Residents in the area reported that water pressure dropped soon after the main break at about noon. Digiulio said water pressure should have returned to normal by now.

We recently returned (3:22 p.m.) from the corner of 38th and Spruce and traffic is already very gnarly. Steer clear of that area if possible. The water has receded but it’s going to be a tough rush hour around there.

Here is raw footage of the break shot at about noon today by Channel 6:

Mayor Michael Nutter and Spruce Hill Community Association President Mark Wagenveld. (Photos by Mike Lyons)

Folks gathered for the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) board meeting last night got a surprise when Mayor Michael Nutter stopped by for an impromptu appearance. Nutter aide Erica Atwood, a neighborhood resident, helped arrange the visit.

Nutter spent about 10 minutes talking to SHCA board members and visitors at its 45th street headquarters about general city issues, such as the budget. Nothing groundbreaking.

Nutter lauded SHCA board members for their civic engagement efforts. “Keep up the good work,” he said before leaving.

As for the SHCA meeting itself, the board:

• Discussed a proposed study of the SEPTA trolley portal at 40th Street between Woodland Avenue and Baltimore Avenue as a “gateway to University City.” The University City District plans to fund a study of the area around the unnel entrance that would improve the area aesthetically as well as add more green space.

• Was informed that restaurant along Baltimore Avenue were hoping to convince the city to allow them to apply as a single entity for permits to allow outdoor cafe seating. Currently the city requires every business to file an application, a fairly arduous process. The Baltimore Avenue Business Association plans to hold a meeting soon to gauge neighborhood support for the plan to apply for the permits as a group. These permits do not apply to businesses that serve alcohol outside.

Within a day of the Jan. 10 at the Windermere Court Apartments at 48th and Walnut Street people from around the area stepped up to help the 100 or more people that the fire made homeless. Folks donated clothes, money and other things to the Salvation Army, the Red Cross and other organizations. Little of that help has seemingly made it to the victims. We wanted to alert readers to a discussion on our original story on aid to the victims. Here is a sample comment from Lara, a former resident of Windermere Court:

I am also a former resident of the Windermere apartments, and yes, I can confirm that none of the clothing donated to the Salvation Army goes directly to us. And the same goes for any money donated to the Red Cross – it DOES NOT go directly to us. We have each been given a $100 voucher to use at a Salvation Army store, in one visit, before mid February. As far as donated clothing goes, unfortunately I have no idea where it can be donated where it will be held for us. Some of us have found adequate clothing through friends, coworkers, and the help of other former residents of Windermere Court. Others have had more difficulty finding what they need. I will say this though… we have barely seen any of all of the aid we keep hearing of, and it is not only disheartening, but angering. Where is it going? We (many former residents) keep reading misinformation about such resources that have supposedly been provided to us in news articles again and again. We have not been put up in hotels or apartments by anyone but perhaps friends or family, and we have been mostly fending for ourselves at the same time as grieving what we’ve lost. We’ve been communicating with one another and have been each other’s best source of information and resources. I wish I could help you help us, but I don’t know exactly how to do that.

See more comments here. Next week we plan to do a one-month update on what’s happening with fire victims and the building.

Philly.com reports that 14 people reported injuries this afternoon when a Route 11 trolley collided with a SUV on Woodland Avenue near 48th Street. Eight trolley passengers, three passengers in the Mercury Mountaineer involved in the collision and three people outside the trolley reported minor injuries. The collision was the second in as many days involving a trolley and another vehicle.

If you need an intern, here’s a chance to give a kid their first break in the work world. And it’s free. The Enterprise Center (4548 Market St.) will host the West Philadelphia Youth Workforce Summit on Thursday and Friday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. to provide employers the chance to hire student interns for 6 to 15 hours per week at no cost to them.

The internships are compensated through the Philadelphia Youth Network, a co-sponsor of this week’s event, and their “Work Ready” program. The students available for internships are pre-screened and will be on hand at the Summit with resumes and presentations to market themselves.

Summit organizers stressed that even if businesses are unable to hire an intern for the spring they should still send representatives. Part of the point of the Summit is to help students practice the work-related skills they have been working on over the year.

Check out the video below for more on Work Ready and the Philadelphia Youth Network.