ROCKLAND – The boards of the Rockland-Thomaston Area Chamber of Commerce and the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce will study the possibility of merging the two organizations.

Members of the two boards will meet next week to create a joint committee that would study the merger, said Jean Freedman-White, chairwoman of the C-R-L Chamber board.

“This is something that’s been talked about, on and off, for years,” she said Thursday.

The chambers work together on economic development projects, each year hosting a joint business showcase. And they combine forces in advocacy before larger promotion groups and the Legislature.

This last point is a possible gain if a merger is completed, Freedman-White said.

With each chamber having about 700 members, a combined organization would have significant clout, making it one of the largest such organizations, after Portland’s Chamber, Freedman-White said. Each chamber has an operating budget of about $500,000, and each has a full-time director and support staff.

Topping the list of considerations in a possible merger “is how it’s going to affect our members,” Freedman-White said.

If the exploratory committee recommends a merger of some kind, she said, the question would have to pass muster with the memberships of both chambers.

No time frame has yet been set for the exploratory group to complete its work.