Two South End neighborhood associations are considering a potential merger at the beginning of next year.
The East Berkeley Neighborhood Association (EBNA), which covers much of the area along Harrison Avenue from Union Park Street to Herald Street, announced at its September meeting that it is considering combining with the contiguous Blackstone/Franklin Square Neighborhood Association, a larger and more formalized nonprofit neighborhood organization.
Nothing is yet formalized. EBNA leaders say this move would improve what the group can do for its neighborhood by providing a wider pool of volunteers and funding. But some residents are hesitant, both about the prospect of merging and the procedure the EBNA board plans to use, as it wouldn’t put the move to a member vote despite charging its members dues.
EBNA president David Fine said in a phone call he first started considering a merger because he felt that the group didn’t have much power for change in the neighborhood as is.
“A small neighborhood association just didn’t seem to carry enough voice with our city officials, particularly centralized city officials like city hall,” Fine said. “Back Bay and Beacon Hill, who all seem to have influential voices, have one big neighborhood association with a lot of voters, and people pay attention. The South End has 17, some as small as one or two blocks. It just made no sense.”
Fine said at EBNA’s September meeting that merging with Blackstone/Franklin would give the organization more funding and more people to serve as volunteers, as Blackstone/Franklin is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with active members. This merger, he said, would still allow the group to be small enough to tackle hyperlocal issues, like sidewalk and street conditions and quality of life issues.
A lot of residents, however, are confused and concerned about a potential merger. One reason is that EBNA would not be putting the merger to a member vote. It would put it to a board vote, and only informally consider member input, even though over the past year, approximately 60 EBNA members have consistently paid dues, according to data provided at the meeting.
Additionally, the last time there was a significant change proposed to the association, members were invited to vote.
In 2018, the group changed its name from the Old Dover Neighborhood Association to the East Berkeley Neighborhood Association.
The Boston Guardian received a copy of an email distributed at the time, that states, “The membership will vote to either change the name to East Berkeley Neighborhood Association or keep as is. To vote in April [2018], you had to have a membership with Old Dover as of Friday, April 13 and must be in attendance at the meeting.”
Residents have also suggested that the South End’s numerous associations are actually one of its strengths. They say the South End Forum, a periodic gathering of the neighborhood groups to focus on area wide issues like safety, serves the same function as a large neighborhood association like that of the Back Bay.
“When there’s a broader issue, we can all get together,” said Sheila Grove, a former leader of the Union Park Neighborhood Association and long-time South End resident. “You don’t end up with the neighborhood association president of all the South End, you end up with 14 people, and you get a broader perspective. I had always thought that was a strong part of the South End. Nobody has too much power.”
Blackstone/Franklin would be putting the potential combination to a full membership vote at a point over the next few months. If both organizations fully agree to merge, the process would start at the beginning of next year.
“The conversation is probably a bit premature,” said Blackstone/Franklin president Jonathan Alves. “In the South End, there is interest from residents in combining where it makes sense. These conversations have been happening informally for a few years. We’ll see what people think, and if it makes sense, then it’ll happen.”
