At first glance, nothing seems abnormal on William Street in the Careyville neighborhood.
Orange and red leaves flitter down from mature trees and cover small front yards.
Dog walkers stroll down the street. A car or two rolls by barely breaking the overall quiet of the neighborhood.
But on closer look, telltale signs of what is to come are starting to emerge.
The windows and doors on two homes are shuttered. A blue sedan with “security” marked on the side idles at an intersection. And a new foundation is going in on Avenue G.
Things are getting ready to change and change drastically.
In August, Florida-based VigIndustries announced a proposal to buy out 30-plus properties on the northeast edge of Careyville.
The proposal was driven by concerns that sinkholes could develop from brine wells on the neighboring property, which is owned by VigIndustries.
In late September, the city gave the proposal a green light.
Over the last month, many of the affected homeowners have signed sale agreements and have at least begun to move out of their homes.
VigIndustries has hired Strawn Contracting to shutter the homes that are no longer occupied and also has hired a person to patrol the neighborhood watching for potential vandals that might be lured by the prospect of vacant homes.
The company is hopeful demolition of the shuttered homes can start within the next 30 days, said Debra Waters, legacy manager for VigIndustries.
Some homes will be saved from the wrecking ball, though. Instead, they’ll be moved to other lots around the city before they are resold.
On a sunny afternoon last week, Dallas Macklin and his neighbor, Larry Madden, stood in the driveway separating their homes - both of which are included the buyout - and chatted about the neighborhood.
“I really think morale is pretty good,” Macklin said as Madden nodded in agreement. “It’s kind of hard to look at the boarded-up homes.”
Macklin and Madden both expect to move out of their homes next month, and Macklin said he expects most of his neighbors will leave Careyville over the winter.
In the meantime, Macklin is dismantling parts of his home to take with him or to sell.
VigIndustries is purchasing the homes for fair market value, but since the homes are destined for demolition, residents have permission to do anything with the homes they want.
“I sold the garage - it’s going to Inman,” Macklin said. “And I sold my storm doors. They were almost new and I couldn’t see them getting crushed up.”
