USS PHOENIX (SSN-702) COLD WAR MONUMENT FOUNDATION, INC.
DIRECTORS’ MEETING MINUTES, WEDNESDAY, 10 DECEMBER 2025
A LIVE MEETING HELD AT THE ARIZONA STATE VETERAN HOME
Directors/Steering Committee Members Participating: Directors Carol Culbertson, Ed Henry, Dave Leclair, Chuck Manuel and Pete Lumianski. Other attendees included Steering Committee Member Fred Rouse and new Treasurer volunteer Carrie Thompson-Jones. The meeting was held in the Arizona State Veteran Home’s Conference Room A107 on 10 December 2025 from 1030 to 1240. The principal focus of the meeting was a discussion of the monument design progress, and the Foundation’s role in the proceedings. Foundation Executive Director Pete Lumianski brought the meeting to order at 1040.
Treasury Report. Pete provided a current summary of the Foundation’s Treasury: Desert Financial Credit Union Savings Certificate – $66,713.52; Chase Savings – $6,777.07; Chase Checking – $14.121.02; Chase Brick – $7184.24; Total – $94,795.85. Pete introduced Carrie Thompson to the group and she was welcomed by all present. Pete reported he and aspiring Treasurer Carrie Thompson held a ‘turnover’ meeting on 9 October in order to transfer our financial records from Janet Western to Carrie. Carrie is evaluating the records and developing a format for maintaining accurate Foundation Treasurer/Financial records and reports. Carrie is slated to complete that task in January, prior our next Foundation Directors’ meeting. Pete noted there were a number of anomalies in our recent financial transactions and current balances which have now been cleared up by Navy Ball Chairperson Carol Culbertson. Carol reported all Navy Ball-related transactions have now been completed.
City of Phoenix Feedback. Pete re-emphasized the City was totally in charge of the monument and that our ability to influence ongoing events is not entirely clear at this point. Pete summarized his meetings and communications with various monument officials which took place since the last Directors’ Meeting on 23 October. He described meetings with COP, Ardurra, Lisa Ranzenberger, and his mostly unanswered emails with Parks leaders Shackelford, Whitfield and Aguilar. The bottom line of the communications, Pete explained, is that there is no resolution to the MOU, access panels, sail sculptures, brick-pavers, fund-raising, recognition-dedication signs, and PPMR move questions and concerns raised over the past few months. Pete read his latest communication to the Parks leadership requesting some feedback on our questions and concerns, sent on 18 November, followed up by a reminder which he sent out on 8 December. The Board discussed various means of improving communications with the City, but it appears the City has many competing priorities and continues to be understaffed. The contractor, Ardurra, stated the monument ground-breaking looks good for sometime in the Spring of 2026.
MOU With The City. The Board expressed little enthusiasm for making the MOU a priority or for initiating actions to move the process along prior to hearing first from the City. Pete volunteered to review the Robert Broom draft version of the MOU and having it available as a starting point for some future negotiations with the City.
Fund-Raising. Pete noted we haven’t been in an active fund-raising mode for the past couple years, while passively accepting donations and brick sale revenues generated primarily from our website. Pete expressed confidence in our ability to raise monies if necessary and he listed a number of things that will be needed to restart an active fund-raising effort:
- Determine the need and purpose for the extra monies
- Develop a comprehensive marketing plan
- Create/devise appropriate marketing materials
- Revamp the Brick-Paver program
- Remodel our website
- Reinvigorate our newsletter
- Develop and pursue leads with corporations, Veteran organizations, grant-giving organizations and wealthy donors
- Increase our media visibility/presence
Current Foundation Actions To Do: Help is welcome in all areas.
- Help with interpretive signage/recognition and dedication signs
- Solve the Sail access panel inventory and plans
- Lobby for the Sail sculptures
- Liaise with PPMR when appropriate
- Resolve the Brick-Paver program and develop a new marketing piece
- Prepare for an MOU response to the City
- Develop a few new Banner Signs for the Parks Maintenance Bldg wall
- Remodel our website
News Notes.
- Pete noted that Captain John Bowers recently contributed his second $1000.00 donation to the monument project. Pete wrote a thank-you note.
- Interpretive Signage. Pete contacted classmate/author Ed Linz a retired submariner, current author and former commanding officer of the Kamehameha (SSBN 642) to see if he’d draft an “interactive” interpretive sign with the theme “If you were the skipper . . . . Ed agreed to help.
- Bragg Crane. Pete reported he’s in contact with Bragg Crane Regional Vice President Bill Green to see if Bragg might be able to help move the parts from PPMR when the time comes. Bill said he remembered when Bragg helped back in 2016.
- Arizona American Legion Fall Conference, 8 November. Director Ed Henry reported on his trip to Tucson to attend the event at the Hilton Doubletree and help promote our monument project. Ed met with TAL state leaders and handed out some of our brochures.
- Ball Caps. RDML Mike Mclaughlin donated 27 ball caps to the Foundation to use as the Foundation desires. Mike has collected them from the more than 25 boats/submarine organizations he served on/worked with during his 30 years of active duty.
Pete adjourned the meeting at 1240. Our next Directors’ meeting is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, 22 January 2026 at the AZ Veteran Home.
Submitted By: Pete Lumianski, Executive Director
Approved By: Carol Culbertson, Chairperson
