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:

The poster for Annie that was put up around the neighborhood.

Another Windermere cat was found alive a month and a day after the West Philly building was devastated by fire. Annie, a tortoise shell, jumped into the arms of a City Kitties volunteer around dawn this morning outside of the Windermere Court Apartments at 48th and Walnut. You may have seen posters for Annie up around the neighborhood (see left). She is missing her tail.

Here’s how the volunteer tells the story (on the City Kitties site):

Before dawn this morning, as a City Kitties volunteer left her house, she heard a cat howling in distress. On a neighbor’s porch, she spotted a tailless tortoiseshell cat. “Annie?” It couldn’t be.

The second she heard her name, Annie came running and practically jumped into the volunteer’s arms. She knew this was her chance, and once safely inside, she knew just what to do: purr like crazy.

One month and one day after the Windermere fire, just when hope seemed to be running out, Annie made a miraculous appearance one block from the burned out building she used to call home. Not only that, she showed up right outside of City Kitties “headquarters.” We don’t believe in fate — just really smart cats who know exactly where to find help.

A rally for Windermere residents and their pets is planned for tomorrow outside West Philadelphia High School. See the story about that here.

A barbed wire fence now encircles the Windermere Court building. Photo by Julija Kulneva

A rally is planned from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday outside the Windermere Court Apartments at 48th and Walnut to gather support for former residents, who still don’t have access to their belongings and pets more than a month after the fire.

Residents say they are staging the rally to make people aware of the lack of information and cooperation from the building’s owners.

The building had been deemed unsafe to enter, but residents have reportedly been told by the city that permission has been granted to the owner to allow people in. It’s the miscommunication that has former residents angry.

“It’s so frustrating,” said former resident Lara Figueroa. “Everything we find out, we find out a week after the fact.”

Residents have been told that the building will likely be at least partially demolished. The building’s owners were not available for comment.

Residents have also organized their own security of the building day and night to watch for potential looters and pets still stranded inside. The building is now surrounded by a barbed wire fence and has been padlocked.

“My biggest frustration is that we know that there are still pets in there alive,” said Figueroa. She said pets have been spotted in windows in the building, but no one has been allowed inside to rescue them.

West Philly-based feline rescue group City Kitties is joining the protest as well to help with recovering residents’ stranded pets.

City Kitties organizers write:

Despite obvious signs of life inside, no one took action–not the owners, not L&I, not the fire marshal, not the insurance investigators who all had access to the building. Just two days after this disaster, fire fighters said there was nothing more they could do and no possibility that cats could have survived.

Now the Windermere owners claim that the buildings’ exterior doors are sealed and that L&I [The city office of Licenses and Inspection] won’t allow anyone inside ever again–and yet a maintenance man, security guards, and insurance company investigators have accessed the building as recently as today, Wednesday February 9th. Meanwhile, the owners are moving forward with demolition, knowing full well that there are still pets inside!

Bill Green, who lives on the 4800 block of Regent reports that there was an attempted robbery by two people wielding a machete and a baseball bat on his block. He writes:

Another attempted robbery at machete point tonight on my block, 4800 Regent St. This time two men with ski masks, one with a machete & one with a baseball bat. They grabbed the man they tried to rob & acted menacing, but he yelled & lots of people (first & loudest his girlfriend) came out yelling & they ran away without getting anything. They wanted the man’s backpack. No one was hurt. This was about 8:30 pm, February 9th.

There was a similar mugging on the 4800 block of Beaumont, about four blocks north of Regent, in early January.

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Neighborhood resident Katie Bonier has temporary custody of a spayed female shepherd mix named Missy. She relays the story below:

I found her wandering around Chester and 46th on Saturday, she had a  tag with her name and address. Through interviewing neighbors and a web search I found that a young woman named Vanessa has owned her since birth, had two dogs, fell on hard times and had to move away 3 weeks ago, to an apartment where dogs aren’t allowed. She left Missy with her parents on 50th and  Kingsessing a few weeks ago asking them to find someone to adopt her. The parents kept her in the yard, and she escaped. I talked to Vanessa, and she needs help finding a home for Missy.

I’ve got an elderly 100 lb dog. I  don’t want a second dog as Lula goes into old age. Lula has been tolerant because Missy is polite and submissive, but she clearly doesn’t want another dog in the house. Missy weighs about 40 lbs, spayed female shepherd mix. Seems well-trained, not familiar with dog cookies or human food, sits, comes, behaves well  with other dogs. Seems trusting and even-tempered, and like maybe she’s used to being left places. She seems quite happy with everyone she meets.

Thanks!

Katie

Here is Katie’s e-mail address:

catherinebonier – at – gmail.com