BY SIDDHARTHA HARMALKAR

SUNNYSIDE  — Between Saturday, April 11, and Sunday, April 19, Queens residents across Council Districts 25, 26, 27, and 29 will be able to cast their ballots for how they want to fund local projects to improve schools, parks, libraries, streets and other public spaces in their community.

District 26 residents, for example, can vote on upgrading community gardens in Long island City or Astoria, providing technology upgrades to enhance learning for students, funding a 24/7 road service truck for fire trucks and ambulances, and more.

Voting is open to everyone aged 11 and older (or at least in 6th grade) who lives in, works or has a special connection (i.e. goes to school) in participating districts. Cast your ballot at https://rnd.council.nyc.gov/PB_Voting/.

This month’s Community Board 2 meeting featured announcements about other ways for community members to receive support and get involved with a variety of initiatives to shape their district.

On April 21, Sunnyside Community Services is hosting a free conference about memory loss, care options, and caregiver tips and resources at the Queens Botanical Garden.

The center, which also hosts Community Board 2 meetings, recently held an information session on the Sunnyside Yards development project that brought out close to 200 local residents.

Next month’s community board meeting will be on May 7.

Board members encouraged community members to take part in the public comment period at these meetings in order to advocate for local issues. The board recently welcomed 12 new members at April’s meeting, who will serve for 2 years.

A representative from the newly elected board of the 472-unit Phipps Gardens Apartments Tenant Association said during the public comment period that the group is hoping to build community and advocate for tenants living conditions, and is looking for more members who live in the complex.

The board is looking for a community member with tech skills to help them create an online tracker to keep track of public and private commitments made by the OneLIC development project. At the meeting, Amaurys Valdez, chair of the Engagement and Inclusion and Tech Committee, encouraged community members to reach out to the board to get involved with the project.

In mid-May, the board will be distributing a survey about community needs and ideas for budget expenses, kicking off a 7-month-long process that culminates in a public hearing and votes to approve budget requests that will be sent to the city to advocate for funds for the following fiscal year.

The Capital and Expenses Budget Committee is also seeking a community member to assist the board with survey development, community outreach, drafting/proofreading, and otherwise help with the process.

Interested applicants can email the board at QN02@cb.nyc.org with the subject line “Public Member Application” and a paragraph describing what they hope to bring to the process.