History Colorado State Historical Fund will hold a community round table from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday Jan. 25 at Tread of Pioneers Museum, 800 Oak St. in Steamboat Springs. RSVP by contacting Stefanie Baltzell at stefanie.baltzell@state.co.us or 303-866-3493. 

Calling 811 reduces risk of damaged utility lines

Atmos Energy reminds homeowners and excavators they are required by law to call 811 to have all buried utility lines located and marked before digging.

Since 2008, Atmos Energy has seen a 36 percent increase in requests by the public to have underground natural gas lines marked. Once underground utility lines are marked, it is important to take special care around all line markings by digging by hand.

“The greatest risk to our natural gas pipelines is accidental damage while digging,” said Gary Gregory, president of Atmos Energy’s Colorado division, in a news release. “Even minor damage, such as a scrape, dent, or crease in a pipeline or its coating, can cause a leak.”

Every time the excavating public calls 811 before digging, the chances of hitting an underground utility line decreases by 99.9 percent.

When calling 811, homeowners and contractors are connected to their local one-call center, which notifies the appropriate utility companies of their intent to dig. Professional locators are then sent to the digging site to mark the location of underground utility-owned lines with flags and spray paint, free of charge.

Atmos Energy located 1.5 million underground natural gas lines in 2015.

Visit atmosenergy.com/811 or call 811.com for more information.

Residents encouraged to renew licenses online

Colorado residents who renew their driver’s licenses or identification cards online will now receive a newly designed card.

Renewing online allows customers to avoid visiting a Department of Motor Vehicle office. It also offers individuals the opportunity to update their current physical and mailing addresses.

Individuals may renew their driver license up to two consecutive times online. The most recent photo on file with the DMV is used when renewing online.

Last year, only 29 percent of eligible residents took advantage of the online renewal option. Individuals are encouraged to renew online for their convenience.

Colorado unveiled the new driver’s license and identification card at three pilot offices in March. All driver license offices across the state are issuing the new design.

Parkinson’s exercise class offered twice weekly

Parkinson’s exercise classes are held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m. Fridays at the United Methodist Church of Steamboat Springs. The class consists of exercises developed by neuroscientist Becky Farley and Gary Sobol to specifically address Parkinson’s symptoms.

Class participants warm up their muscles, focus on big, powerful movements and loud voices and work together as a group to encourage one another, share tips and revel in good humor.

Classes are free. For more information, call Jacqueline Teuscher at 303-829-2869 or Eva Gibbons at 970-846-9887, or email jacqueline.teuscher@gmail.com.