Two South End neighborhood associations have voted overwhelmingly in favor of merging, their leaders announced this week, after holding membership wide votes last month.

The Blackstone/Franklin Square Neighborhood Association, which spans the area around and to the south of its two namesake parks along Washington Street, and the East Berkeley Neighborhood Association, further east and running adjacent to I-93, will complete their newly approved merger this spring.

“We ran a democratic transparent process,” Jonathan Alves, president of Blackstone/Franklin, said in a phone call. “People are excited about having a stronger, more unified voice with the city. People are excited about the increased ability to have volunteers for different neighborhood initiatives, and the similarities between the different groups. People are excited about coming together.”

The potential merger was first announced last September, but Alves said at the time that conversations about consolidating neighborhood associations have been happening informally in the South End for years. Most neighborhoods in Boston have one or two neighborhood associations. Before this merger, the South End had 17.

David Fine, president of East Berkeley, also said at the group’s September meeting that merging with Blackstone/Franklin would provide more funding and better avenues of communication with the city.

East Berkeley had initially faced some opposition from members because it had planned to only allow board members to contribute to the vote.

However, its final vote included all dues-paying members, for a count of 31 in favor and three against. Blackstone/ Franklin, which also polled its entire membership, counted a final tally of 36 in favor and six against. Members of both associations also voted on the leadership for the new group, with equal representation of seven leaders from each original association’s board.

Currently, the new association plans to not charge membership dues. Blackstone/Franklin is currently designated as a 501(c) (3) nonprofit, and the new association would retain that designation.

“ As of now, Blackstone/Franklin Square has been pretty well funded through grants from the Boston Medical Center and some others,” Fine said at the meeting.

“Maybe as that funding runs down over the years, we might look at that again. But for the moment, we won’t be charging dues.”

The remaining details of the merger are still being fleshed out. The working name for the association, for example, is just a mix of the individual names: the Blackstone/Franklin Square East Berkeley Neighborhood Association.

“It’s a mouthful, and not very catchy,” Fine said at East Berkeley’s February meeting last Tuesday. “But we are going to be working on branding for the new association, and that will probably be rolled out in the springtime.” Joint social events for the new group will also begin at that time.

The boundaries for the new association are also being finalized but will generally follow the existing boundaries of both groups, likely with the inclusion of a few blocks that separate them. A map will be posted on the association’s new website soon.