By P.J. LASSEK World Staff Writer on Jun 4, 2011, at 1:45 AM Updated on 6/04/11 at 8:01 AM
The Tulsa home at 1550 E. 27th St. owned by James Douglas Pielsticker is seen this week. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World
The former president and CEO of bankrupt Arrow Trucking Co., James Douglas Pielsticker, has left a mess that the city is having to clean up.
The city Neighborhood Inspections section received a code enforcement complaint a couple of weeks ago about Pielsticker's abandoned midtown mansion, which is next door to the Philbrook Museum.
Tim Cartner, a code enforcement field supervisor, said Thursday that the 3-acre property at 1550 E. 27th St. has high weeds and brown, stagnant water in the pool, hot tub and fountain and that the 6,800-square-foot home is not secured.
Neighbors have reported seeing rats on the property and said the stagnant water has been a breeding ground for mosquitoes, creating an insect problem.
Next week, the city's code enforcement contractor will clean up the property, which includes mowing, draining the stagnant water and securing the structure, Cartner said.
He said it is estimated that the cleanup will cost $700.
The property is going through foreclosure, but Pielsticker is still the title holder, Cartner said. A bill for the abatement costs will be mailed to Pielsticker. If no payment is made, the city will follow its procedures, which ultimately could include filing a lien on the property.
Court records indicate that three banks hold secured claims on the property: Bank of America, for $2.58 million; Citizens Bank of Oklahoma, for $709,688; and Summit Bank, for $103,151.
Mark Poole, president and chief lending officer for Summit Bank, said it's unlikely that a land sale of the property would satisfy what Bank of America is owed, leaving the remaining creditors "foreclosed out" of receiving any funds.
Cartner said most of the city's code enforcement cases are not on foreclosed property. He said a small spike last year included foreclosed properties, "but that has leveled out."
Ninety percent of code enforcement cases are resolved through voluntary compliance, with no need for the city to clear the property, Cartner said.
But of those properties where the city has to step in, Budget Director Pat Connelly said, the city collects about 20 percent of what it bills before it files a lien.
Stan Jones, manager of the city's Treasury Division, said the city will exhaust all efforts to collect its costs before filing a lien in Tulsa County.
Jones said the lien process is lengthy and that at any point after the lien is filed, it can be paid.
If the land is sold during a sheriff's sale, the city usually collects "pennies on the dollar," he said.
The city has $2.5 million in current outstanding invoices, which includes bills for cleanup and liens, Jones said.
For the current fiscal year up to May 31, the city has collected $398,383 in outstanding code enforcement cleanup costs. In the previous fiscal year, the city collected $493,061.
Pielsticker, 42, closed Arrow's trucking offices in Tulsa on Dec. 22, 2009, after a lender denied the company further credit and canceled its fuel cards.
That left hundreds of drivers and their freight stranded around the country without fuel or a means to get home three days before Christmas.
The company assets and liability issues are pending in federal court.
Code enforcement
The city's Neighborhood Inspections section takes some proactive actions to address code enforcement, but it relies mostly on complaints.
Residents can call the Mayor's Action Center at 918-596-2100 to lodge a complaint. Be prepared to provide the address and a description of the code violation.
P.J. Lassek 918-581-8382
pj.lassek@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Abandoned Pielsticker mansion runs afoul of code
