The voting memberships of the Pee Dee Area Council and Indian Waters Council separately convened on Monday, July 11th and each council unanimously voted to merge, effective August 1, 2022. This was preceded in June by merger approval from both council executive boards after extensive research and a recommendation by a combined-council Merge Study Committee.
From the Pee Dee Area Council, that committee included Council President Phil Bethune, Council Commissioner Diane Bauer, Past Presidents Dr Webb Jones, Walt Barefoot, Porter Stewart, Tim Norwood, and David Lee and Executive Board Members JD Chaplin, Michael Hesbach, Kenneth McIver, and David Warner.
This merger is seen as a “win-win” for the two organizations, which are both in solid financial position and well positioned to emerge stronger together from national BSA challenges of recent times and the devastating effects of the pandemic. The underlying goal is to build up the body of Scouting and secure its future.
That means better support for our Scouting family by combining volunteer and program resources and consolidating operational functions. It also means adding professional staff, increasing volunteer training, bolstering our programming, membership support, and fundraising capacity, as well as continued youth leadership development through a strengthened Order of the Arrow program.
The combined council is expected to create new opportunities for youth membership growth and expanded Scouting adventures at Camp Coker and throughout the combined 19-county territory. The council will have the name, Indian Waters Council, and will also operate Camp Barstow on Lake Murray in Batesburg, South Carolina, www.campbarstowsc.com.
The two organizations already share personal and cultural ties that will help provide a smooth merger transition. For the past five years, Camp Barstow has been led by Pee Dee Area Council and Santee Order of the Arrow lodge alumni in numerous leadership positions including camp director. The Indian Waters Council has also had several Pee Dee Area Council and Santee Lodge members among its ranks, including fourteen Vigil Honor members and six past Santee Lodge chiefs.
The traditions and heritage of the Pee Dee Area Council and Santee Lodge will provide an amazing foundation for the new opportunities this merger affords, and we are eager to begin this new chapter of adventure for the current and future Scouts and their families.
Yours In Scouting,
Phil Bethune Doug Stone
Council President Scout Executive
Pee Dee Area Council Indian Waters Council
