Church seeks to honor Santi with road name

After a well-attended groundbreaking, Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church has another bit of business with the city of Maricopa – a name change.

The church is applying to change the name of its access road from Cowpath to Santi.

“Cowpath is extremely western but not exactly liturgical,” said Ken Lepper, chairman of the Construction and Development Oversight Committee.

On a brief agenda Tuesday, the Maricopa City Council hosts a public hearing on the proposed name change. The applicant – Our Lady of Grace – must present reasons for the name change and compelling evidence of why the new name is appropriate.

Lepper said Santi fits in three ways. Wayne Santi, the late church administrator, was instrumental in the development of Our Lady of Grace. Secondly, he was also involved in several community causes.

Santi also translates as “saints,” making it a fitting entry to The Crossing, Lepper said. The Crossing is a planned mix-use development that will be anchored by the new Catholic church.

The section of Cowpath Road off White and Parker Road is considered a collector street for the Seven Ranches area. There is an unrelated Cowpath Drive in the city.

After the public hearing, a resolution to change the name of the road is part of the council’s five-item consent agenda.