FORT WORTH, Texas — An unusual street name is behind lost packages, travel headaches and fears about public safety, according to neighbors living on Se-Ha-Payak Road in Keller.
“It’s frustrating,” said Ann Phromkhanourak. “We have difficulty getting the mail and people kind of get lost.”
The road is named after a doctor prominent in the Southeast Asian community, but online search results sometimes show it written “Sehapayak,” “Seha Payak,” or “Se-ha-Payak.”
The latter (with dashes) is how it’s written in an ordinance up for discussion at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, in which neighbors are asking to change the name to “Wat” which means "temple."
People unfamiliar with the neighborhood often confuse the first two letters (SE) as an abbreviation for southeast, Phromkhanourak said.
Changing the name would not only make things more convenient, but would also save precious seconds in case of an emergency according to neighbors behind the change.
“It’s easier for the fire department to come find us,” Phromkhanourak said.
The Fort Worth Fire Department supports the street name change request, according to city documents, but not everyone is on the same page.
“I was really surprised honestly,” said Britney Douangsavanh, when she heard the City was considering the change.
In a predominantly Southeast Asian community, neighbors who don’t speak English will have a hard time changing addresses and getting new drivers licenses, Douangsavanh said.
She also believes changing the name sends the wrong message about the community’s heritage.
“Who cares if it’s difficult for somebody to say or spell,” Douangsavanh said. “It’s not about them, it’s about us.”
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