DURHAM – Conservation Commission member Russell Jabaut will present that panel’s case for limiting the horsepower of watercraft on Runaround Pond at the selectmen’s meeting Tuesday night.

When asked at their last meeting to support a Conservation Commission-sponsored citizen’s petition to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department seeking boat motor size limits, selectmen said they wanted to hear more about it before lending their support.

The petition seeks to change the regulations governing the pond by placing a 10-horsepower limit on all watercraft used there.

One selectmen, Daryl Pratt, who will not be at Tuesday’s meeting, said he wanted to go on record as supporting the idea.

Going a step further, he suggested that all motors should be prohibited from the pond. There is no horsepower restriction now.

Durham’s Runaround Pond Park Recreation area, which includes the pond, was turned over to the the town by the State Parks and Recreation Department several years ago. It’s under the control of the Conservation Commission. It is used for boating, fishing, hiking, picnicking and snowmobiling in the winter.

The Conservation Commission, in its petition, explains that the reasons for the change “are in the nature of the pond itself.” It is mostly shallow and filled with aquatic plants, “as well as the fact that most watercraft currently in use are canoes and kayaks. We are particularly concerned for the safety of the majority of the users.”

For these reasons, they believe the pond is unsuitable for watercraft powered by engines larger than 10 horsepower.

The selectmen’s meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the town office, and the public is welcome to attend.