By Jennifer Gardiner | [email protected]

Herriman is one of the fastest growing cities in Utah. With more 40,000 residents and a constant need for resources to house a population of that size, residents and officials finally got exactly what they needed: a brand-new city hall. 

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Sept. 22 and started with an introduction by Assistant City Manager Gordon M. Haight II, followed by a performance of God Bless the USA by the Herriman Harmonyx singers. 

An official flag ceremony was conducted by the Utah National Guard, Unified Police Department and Unified Fire Authority, while Herriman Harmonyx sang “God Bless America.” 

Herriman’s first mayor, J. Lynn Crane, offered the invocation, followed by several speakers, including the current mayor of Herriman, Carmen R. Freeman; Scott Henriksen, of GSBS architects; Jeff Palmer, business developer for Layton Construction; and Brett Wood, Herriman city manager. 

 The ribbon was finally cut by Freeman and Crane, along with Johnny Hollingshead, of Layton Construction; Scott Henricksen, Erin Holcombe and Brian Jacobson from GSBS; city council members Jared Henderson, Nicole Martin, Coralee Moser and Craig Tischner; former City Council member Matt Robinson; Miss Herriman McKenzie Jensen; Haight; and City Manager Brett Wood.

Wood said the need for a facility has been talked about for well over a decade, but they revisited the idea in spring of 2015. Planning started immediately, and with a budget of $16.2 million and a team of about 20 individuals, the groundwork for what would become Herriman City Hall’s new home was well underway. 

Just over two years later, the project was complete. It is adorned with everything a city would need: a courthouse, utility customer service, city council chambers, the city’s building, planning and engineering offices, a passports office, a finance office, human resources, a rentable community room and not to forget, a home to the Unified Police Department Herriman Precinct. 

Outside of the building is a park, splash pad, ice skating and a bandstand. 

Herriman City has seen a tremendous increase in population over the years. Based on census numbers, the population was 1,523 in 2000, and by 2010 it was just around 22,000. 

Freeman said he believes there are a number of factors contributing to the city’s residential growth. 

“This community, nestled in the southwest part of Salt Lake County, is a unique and pristine area surrounded by beautiful mountains and vistas,” he said. “Who wouldn’t want to live here? It’s a wonderful place to raise a family and to be a part of growing and wonderful area. For the most part, people who have moved here love this community and want to spend the rest of their lives living in this area. I know of several families who want to upgrade their housing and choose to stay in Herriman because they love it so much.”

 Freeman doesn’t expect the growth to stop anytime soon and said the future of Herriman is bright and encouraging. 

“Yes, we are going to grow,” he said. “Yes, there will be certain challenges with that growth. But I believe we have created a city that will be unique despite the growth we may experience. It will take proper planning so that we can maintain the uniqueness that has made us a landmark community.” 

 Herriman hasn’t lost that small-town touch, and Freeman said he wants to keep it that way. 

 “We can continue to build large and spacious parks; we can ensure that we remember the wonderful history this community enjoys, and we can continue to develop the city with agricultural properties in certain sectors of our boundaries,” he said. “But perhaps the greatest way to keep the small-town feel is to have our residents continue to be kind and friendly to those around them. That is what has made Herriman such a unique place to live: the people. Since its inception as a community, the people who have lived here with their kind and loving words, helping hands and compassionate outreach has truly been instrumental in keeping this Herriman feel.”