Friends of Herriman offer fresh ideas to arts, culture, parks and trails

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

WhenHerriman City created the Friends of Herriman nonprofit last year, its purpose was to provide meaningful programs to connect residents. The group is made up of individuals willing to invest time and money in activities that promote healthy living, physical activity and the arts to make Herriman a go-to community.

Chris Berbert serves as the Friends of Herriman board chair. He said there are four focus areas for the group: arts, culture, parks and trails. Each of these areas has a director to oversee programming, plus there is a director of events and volunteers, and a director of social, community and student interaction.

“We have four high schools in Herriman. We have a representative from each high school that’s a staff member, then we have a couple of students from each one of those schools,” he said. “All of these groups are organized and designed to create different programs within Herriman that individuals in the community can enjoy.”

Because Herriman has grown so fast, it’s been hard for city staff to keep up with the demand for arts and culture events. The Friends of Herriman frees up staff so they don’t have to organize all the events in the city. City leaders work closely with the group, and they’ve developed a relationship that furthers everyone’s goals.

“The nonprofit was formed with the idea that we can help bring to the community more meaningful programs faster than the city could do on its own,” Berbert said. “I think when you grow as quickly as we’ve grown, part of the thing that tends to be a struggle is unifying a community.”

The Herriman Arts Council is now part of the Friends of Herriman. Arts programs in the city focus on the city’s summer musical, a children’s show, a youth theater workshop and performance, the acapella group Har