CRANBERRY TWP — The Cranberry Area and the Northern Allegheny County chambers of commerce have formed to joint task force to study merging the two organizations.

A merger could create a single chamber with a membership of more than 1,000.

The task force has board members from each of the two chambers. Both boards also have agreed to pay an outside consultant to assist in the effort.

The task force plans to meet biweekly over the next several months to complete its assessment.

The two chamber boards also have invited their members to give their comments regarding the merger.

Keith Colonna, board chairman of the Cranberry chamber, said at the Cranberry chamber's kickoff luncheon Jan. 16 that the study is in the preliminary phase and no commitment has been made by either chamber other than to study the feasibility of a merger.

Mary Margaret Fisher, executive director for the Northern Allegheny chamber, said the idea of merging came from some of the organizations' members.

"The corridor between Cranberry and Northern Allegheny (County) is basically becoming one business corridor," she said.

Fisher said the committee is just beginning to look at potential consultants to assist in the study.

"We will take as much time as necessary (on the study). There is no specific timetable," she said.

The Cranberry chamber, which was established in 1986, has more than 500 members from Cranberry Township and other areas including Wexford, Mars, Zelienople, Butler, New Castle and Allegheny County.

Its office is in Cranberry.

The Northern Allegheny County chamber, which was established in 1972, has a membership of more than 800 businesses in a number of communities in the North Hills including Etna, Franklin Park, Hampton, Marshall, McCandless, Pine, Richland, Ross and Shaler.

Its office is in Wexford.