The 9,000 envelopes bear an Old Man stamp first issued in 1988 by the U.S. Postal Service.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – Almost halfway to their deadline, members of a government task force charged with memorializing the crumbled Old Man are still taking suggestions and deliberating.

But that didn’t stop them from starting a major fund-raising effort Wednesday.

Chairman Steve Merrill said the sale of special commemorative envelopes – some signed by two generations of New Hampshire politicians – could raise up to $100,000 for the revitalization fund.

“This will give people a chance to contribute money to the fund and keep a commemorative reminder of the Old Man in their home or office,” Merrill said.

The 9,000 envelopes bear an Old Man stamp first issued in 1988 by the U.S. Postal Service. The stamps, which usually would have been destroyed, were saved by the state’s district manager.

“I remembered that the stamps were still in storage, and thought it was an opportunity to raise funds,” said James H. Adams.

About 125 envelopes were signed by New Hampshire Sens. John Sununu, Judd Gregg and their fathers, both former governors, on Wednesday. Gov. Craig Benson and Rep. Jeb Bradley also provided autographs.

On Monday, 500 of the unsigned, numbered envelopes will go on sale at the Statehouse gift shop and online for $25 each.

Members of the revitalization task force said they have not decided on how to commemorate the Old Man and have not put a price-tag on the project. The granite profile, perhaps New Hampshire’s best-known symbol, crumbled in May.

They have, however, continued receiving what now numbers thousands of letters and e-mails from as far away as Australia with suggestions that range from leaving the site alone to rebuilding the profile.

“There is a passionate minority still saying, ‘Put something back up there,’ ” said task force member Joseph McQuaid, publisher of The Union Leader of Manchester and New Hampshire Sunday News. “But there is a larger group saying no (to rebuilding).”

McQuaid said the group is looking at ideas like enlarging the Old Man museum in Franconia Notch, but wants to do something “outside of the box that is uniquely New Hampshire.”

David Nielsen, whose family has been taking care of the profile for decades, said by this weekend they hope to have signs up at the north and southbound viewing areas.

The signs will be enlarged versions of a fact sheet now being handed out by park rangers describing the history and collapse of the Old Man.

Nielsen said the task force has been discussing putting up a glass sign or viewfinder that superimposes the Old Man’s image on the mountainside so visitors can get a sense of what he looked like.

“Some people are going up there and can’t figure out where he used to be,” Nielsen said.

Throughout the summer there will be rangers at the viewing stations to answer questions from the estimated 4 million visitors that will pass the site, said the state’s park and recreation division.

The task force will continue to take suggestions until it presents a proposal in early September.

—

On the Net:

Old Man task force: http://www.state.nh.us/oldman/

www.nh.gov

AP-ES-07-02-03 1519EDT

Copy the Story Link