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January 2, 2026
SPECIAL EDITION
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We trust that you have had a wonderful holiday season and that you are looking forward to entering the new year with 3 "P's" - purpose, power, and passion!
At the end of each calendar year, we pause to reflect on and celebrate all that the Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments and the localities in our jurisdiction have accomplished over the past year. And we are grateful for yet another "P" - progress.
In that spirit, we are releasing this special edition of our e-Newsletter. While, it is impossible for us to capture all of the accomplishments we've made in what needs to be a brief newsletter, we'd just like to share a few highlights in this edition. Even if your locality is not specifically mentioned, please know that doesn't mean that your efforts and your impact goes unnoticed and unappreciated. The prosperity of this Region is dependent upon many unique and moving parts working together for the greater good.
We are thankful that you are part of the journey we have embarked upon to make the Pee Dee Region a great place to live, work, and do business. We sincerely appreciate you and what you are doing to make our part of the world a better place.
Our team of dedicated professionals remain committed to assisting you this year and beyond. We believe the best is yet to come and look forward to continuing the journey with you.
Joette R. Dukes
Executive Director
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JANUARY
Coffee with the COG Grants Workshop
On January 15, 2025 Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments hosted Coffee with the COG's "Annual Grants Deep Dive", an expanded version of our quarterly networking event, specifically focused on assisting our local governments with information about the grants available to them. More than 50 members of local governments from across the Pee Dee Region and beyond attended our first Coffee with the COG networking event for Calendar Year 2025. This year's grants workshop featured representatives from SC Parks, Recreation, and Tourism; Southeast Crescent Regional Commission; SC Department of Commerce; Economic Development Administration (EDA); the Municipal Association of South Carolina; and the SC Energy Office.
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FEBRUARY
Workforce Development Department and SC Work Team Supports AESC Recruitment Event in Marion County
On Monday, February 3, 2025, over 360 job seekers attended the Marion County AESC Outreach Event hosted by the Mullins Downtown Development Corporation and various community partners. City and county officials were also in attendance.
AESC Talent Acquisition Partners were on-hand to speak about AESC career opportunities, benefits and hiring timeline; Pee Dee RTA gauged transportation assistance needs; SC Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR) website spotlighted available child care resources; Florence-Darlington Technical College (FDTC) highlighted certification programs available to prep for a career in EV manufacturing; and SC Works Pee Dee partners were on hand to assist with resumes and applications.
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MARCH
Pee Dee COG Welcomed New Finance Team Members
On March 3, Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments welcomed two new Finance Department members to its team.
Frances "Millie" Benton was hired as the organization's Assistant Finance Director and was successfully trained to assume the role of Finance Director upon Pam Watts' retirement. Lacy Mills was hired as our organization's Finance Assistant. Both ladies are remarkable and valued additions to our team!
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Executive Director Part of Regional Regional Conference Panel
In furtherance of her development as a relatively new Executive Director, Pee Dee Regional COG's Executive Director, Joette Dukes, attended the the South East Regional Directors' Institute (SERDI) Annual Professional Development Conference and New Directors' Training in Atlantic Beach, Florida on April 28-30. She was part of a panel discussion about "The Importance and Challenge of Effective Communication." Joette's specific contribution was to speak about Pee Dee COG's communication as an agency to our community, our staff, our board of directors, and our local governments. She highlighted the Coffee with the COG Quarterly networking event, the COGnitive Connections e-newsletter, and the Executive Director Road Tour as part of her presentation.
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Employee Wellness Program Launch
Not only is Pee Dee Regional COG concerned our team’s professional development, we are also invested in their personal development, understanding that employees who are physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially well can devote optimal attention to the organization’s mission. With that in mind, Pee Dee COG has had a “soft” launch of an employee wellness program on April 23.
The initial activity for the team was a lunch and learn, featuring financial planning advice from Sharon Ackerman, a Financial Advisor for Edward Jones.
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MAY
Town of Latta Fire Department Celebration
On May 31, 2025, Dillon County Station Two Latta Fire Department held a 100 Year Anniversary Celebration and New Apparatus Dedication at its Bamberg Street location in Latta. The ceremony included remarks by various County, regional, state and national officials; presentation of awards to those who served the fire department; prayer over the apparatus (i.e. fire truck); and a push-in ceremony for the truck.
The fire truck was purchased using $500,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from a grant written and administered by Kim Ethridge at Pee Dee Regional COG.
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Pee Dee Region Municipalities Receive Rural Infrastructure Grants
Three municipalities in the Pee Dee Region received grant assistance from the SC Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) as follows:
Town of Coward - $1,074,930
Town of Patrick - $250,000
City of Marion - $253,000
These projects were among 27 approved by RIA, totaling approximately $26 million, to address critical infrastructure needs related to public health, water quality and resiliency, while also addressing capacity for economic opportunities.
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JUNE
Pee Dee COG Board Member Recognized For Service
At its June 9 regular meeting, the Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments recognized Mr. T.F. "Buzzy" Finklea for 50 years of service on the Board of Directors!
Appointed to the COG Board in 1975, Mr. Finklea has supported three Executive Directors and has been faithful and dedicated to the fulfillment of Pee Dee COG's mission, while representing Dillon County and its constituents on the Board. He is a lifelong resident of Latta. He has a history of public service to the community as a Latta Town Council member, Dillon County Sheriff’s Deputy, Latta Policeman, Latta Rescue Member, Latta Fireman, and as Dillon County Councilman. During his time as a public servant, Mr. Finklea contributed to the accomplishment of many community and economic development projects in Dillon County.
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JULY
Coffee with the COG Wins National Award
Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments' Coffee with the COG Quarterly Networking Event was recognized with a 2025 Aliceann Wohlbruck Impact Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO).
Presented annually, the NADO Impact Awards honor regional development organizations and their partners for strengthening communities, building regional resilience, and enhancing local economies through innovative approaches to economic and community development.
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AUGUST
Pee Dee COG Says Farewell to Long-Time Finance Director
On August 6, 2025, Pam Watts officially retired as Finance Director for Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments after nearly 41 years of service!
Pam came to Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments' Finance Department on October 1, 1984, as a recent graduate of Francis Marion University. She was among the first group of governmental accounting professionals to receive the designation of Certified Government Finance Officer (CGFO) in 1990. She is CGFO #10 and the last member of that initial group whose credential was still active.
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Pee Dee COG Board Member Elected President of SCAC
During the Association’s Annual Conference held Aug. 4-6, Chesterfield County Council Chairwoman Mary D. Anderson was elected president of the South Carolina Association of Counties (SCAC) for 2025-26.
A Cheraw native and former educator, Anderson currently serves as owner and broker-in-charge of Lewis Realty of Chesterfield County. She is in her third term on County Council and represents Chesterfield County on the Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments and Northeastern Strategic Alliance boards. Anderson succeeds Allendale County Council Chairman William E. Robinson, who was SCAC’s president for 2024-25.
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SEPTEMBER
Success Summit 2025:
"IT'S TIME TO CHANGE THE RECORD"
Friday, September 26th was an amazing celebration of workforce professionals in the Pee Dee Area. The Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments (PDRCOG) held its fourth annual Success Summit as part of the nationally-recognized Workforce Development Month.
The purpose of the Success Summit is to celebrate the success of our workforce system personnel, partners, and participants; to increase staff capacity by offering information and tools to help them serve our system more effectively; and to provide an opportunity for workforce professionals to network with their peers outside of their day-to-day routines. This year's event boasted a record number of attendees - 150!
| | | | At the heart of this year's event and under the leadership of SC THRIVE, a South Carolina-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering people and communities to thrive, the attendees experienced a poverty simulation. Poverty Simulation is a training tool to help people understand the challenges of living in poverty and to foster empathy and better service for those in need. | | |
Pee Dee COG on LinkedIn
Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments officially "activated" its page on LinkedIn and extended an invitation to interested parties to follow its page. ! If you engage with social media, we invite you to follow us and encourage others to do the same. The link to our page is here.
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City of Dillon Hosts Grand Opening
On November 19, the City of Dillon hosted a grand opening and ribbon cutting for the City's Festival Market! The beautiful venue will be the home of the Dillon County Pop-Up Farmers Market as well as the venue for concerts and other events. It is located on Railroad Avenue behind the City of Dillon Visitor Center where the old Bethea Warehouse once stood.
| | The Market was constructed using Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) combined with funding from the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC) and funding secured by SC House of Representatives Member Jackie Hayes. It is a testament to the the fact that collaborations and partnerships can make our communities' dreams come true. | | | |
DECEMBER
New Grant Awards Announced
Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments is pleased to announce that its team has assisted several localities with successfully competing for grants totaling more than $2 million this fall! They are as follows:
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Town of Ruby
Park Upgrades
$100,000
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Town of Society Hill
Depot Drainage Improvements
$225,340
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Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
Community Enrichment & Local Priorities
Fall 2025
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Town of Cheraw
Arrowhead Park Improvements
$300,000
Marlboro County
Lindsay Park Improvements
$300,000
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Florence County
School Demolition
$500,000
Town of Timmonsville
Northwest Quadrant Demolition
$380,000
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Town of Sellers
Drainage Study
$200,000
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Pee Dee Workforce Development Board Receives Award
The Pee Dee Workforce Development Board, along with eight others in the State of South Carolina, has been honored as a High Performing Board by the State Workforce Development Board!
This achievement reflects our workforce board's commitment to driving workforce innovation, supporting local businesses, and creating opportunities for job seekers across our region. Boards who received the award must have met all federal and state performance standards, employ innovative strategies in service delivery, and promote regionalism through multi-regional service strategies.
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Pee Dee COG's Executive Director Receives Special Recognition
SC Biz News has named Joette Dukes as one of South Carolina's most influential leaders!
The South Carolina 500 is a premier recognition program celebrating the most influential and accomplished professionals throughout the Palmetto State. The SC Biz News editorial team carefully selects 500 outstanding individuals who are driving innovation, creating jobs, building communities, and making South Carolina a better place to live and work.
In addition, Joette has been selected for Pee Dee Business Magazine's 2025 50 Most Influential list and will be honored at a special event on February 26, 2026.
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These highlights do not include the many fulfilled requests for specialized technical assistance that we received in all of our departments, the administrative functions that helped our organization run well and that occurred behind the scenes, the input gathered and provided to governments and other organizations with whom we partner, and training and presentations made regarding our services. These functions are also important and make our organization the great organization that it is.
To the Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments Staff and Board of Directors, thank you! None of what was highlighted in this edition could have been accomplished without your diligent attention to helping our communities and its constituents address their needs. Because of your efforts, communities have improved water/sewer infrastructure, new fire trucks, new sidewalks, new parks/community spaces, paved roads and improved intersections, and so much more...
Thanks for lending your time and talents to the mission of Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments. You are amazing!
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Our Mission
The mission of the Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments is to assist local governments and organizations in a wide variety of planning, economic development, workforce investment and other technical services that will help meet the human and physical development needs of the region.
In support of our mission, we employ a dedicated team of professionals. To learn more about our organization and/or to access our staff directory, visit www.peedeecog.org.
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