A Claremont boy got top marks from the city after he helped save family members from a devastating house fire.

Felix Fazel, 8, was visiting family in Nyack, New York when a fire broke out in the home he was staying in, according to CBS New York.

Acting quickly, he alerted his grandmother, Annette Martinez, who led Felix and his cousin Maisie, 3, out of the burning house to safety.

The home, owned by Ms. Martinez’s son Mitchell Martinez, who grew up in Claremont, was unfortunately severely damaged. A GoFundMe campaign was set up by friends in New York, and the Martinez family has moved into a rental while they rebuild their home.

Reena Roy, a CBS New York reporter, interviewed young Felix after his heroic deed.

“I think it’s pretty good,” Felix said. “I think I did an awesome thing.”

Felix attends Sycamore Elementary School and is the son of COURIER columnist Mellissa Martinez and Ramak Fazel.

Claremont Mayor Corey Calaycay gave Felix a certificate acknowledging his heroism at Tuesday’s meeting.

Gas tax street projects outlined

The council also passed a list of road repair projects that will be paid for under SB1, better known as the gas tax.

Under the law, which survived a recall effort last November, Claremont will be receiving $614,000 annually from the state to be used for road maintenance, rehabilitation and safety measures. In order to receive funding, the city was required to provide the California Traffic Commission (CTC) an approved list of projects.

Those projects include a partnership with the city of Pomona to resurface Towne Avenue between Foothill Boulevard and Harrison Avenue.

That stretch of Towne, which straddles the border between Claremont and Pomona, is a notoriously bumpy ride. The project includes grinding and paving the existing roadway with two inches of rubberized asphalt concrete, the city said.

Pomona will be the lead agency on the project, which should be done during the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

Claremont will also resurface Towne between Foothill and Base Line Road, as well as incorporating “complete streets” and “green streets” design measures.

Mount Baldy Road is also poised for a facelift. The portion of the road between Mills and Grand Avenues will be repaved, along with the portion of Indian Hill Boulevard between Armstrong Drive and Base Line Road. The design work for this project, which includes complete streets policies, will cost $13,000, the city said.

The portion of Mount Baldy Road between Padua Avenue and the northeastern city limit will also be given a refresh, including installing signage, striping and asphalt repairs. The design work for this project will cost $20,700, the city said.

Finally, San Jose Avenue from Mills to Mountain Avenue will also be repaved, in addition to Indian Hill Boulevard from American Avenue to Santa Fe Street.

Streetlights purchased

The city finalized the purchase of streetlights throughout Claremont as part of their plan to convert them to energy-saving LED lights.

The city is obtaining financing in the amount of $814,551 to finalize the purchase of the 980 streetlights, which was first approved by the council in 2017, according to city Finance Director Adam Pirrie.

Mr. Pirrie told the council that after the purchase and retrofit, the city should be saving around $89,000 per year during the 10-year term of the financing. After the debt is paid off, the city is expected to save $96,000 per year in energy and maintenance, with the total cost savings over 20 years amounts to $960,000, he said.

The council unanimously passed the resolution, 5-0.

Teens awarded for anti-vaping posters

The council recognized five Claremont kids for winning an anti-vaping and anti-tobacco art poster contest.

The winners were Juliet Gonzalez, Hannah Ly, Yesa Lee, JoJo Wren and Shunning Wang.

The art poster contest was launched by the Claremont Unified School District after receiving grant funding from the Tobacco Use Education program, Mayor Corey Calaycay said. The students created posters against vaping and other tobacco-related uses that were aimed at students from sixth grade to twelfth grade.

Each winner received a certificate from the council, as well as $100 in Claremont bucks.

The next city council meeting will take place Tuesday, May 14.

—Matthew Bramlett

news@claremont-courier.com