Daily News from New York, New York • 200

1 CMM. 1 an lluvbjuu On Camera pages 2-3 Civil Service page 4 High School Sports pages 70-71 0) Major LIE upgrading agreed on -v I i Sr 'I'll 1 "S3 Kenneth Prewitt, head of the Census Bureau, addresses students BIIX TURNBUU, DAILY NEWS at Public School 80 in Jamai the best ambassadors for the census, explained the reason for the ca. Prewitt, who said kids are odqddDs to dbsoos By JAMES HARNEY DAILY NEWS QUEENS BUREAU CHIEF Gov. Pataki and Mayor Giuliani yesterday jointly announced agreement on a plan that will make major safety and traffic-flow improvements on the Long Island Expressway between the Cross Island Parkway and the Nassau County line. Highlights of the plan include: The conversion of LIE shoulder areas into entrance, exit and breakdown lanes, creating a buffer between the expressway and neighborhoods such as Little Neck and Douglaston, by keeping LIE traffic off of adjacent service roads and local streets.

The construction of two new ramps, one from the southbound Cross Island Parkway to the eastbound LIE, the other from the westbound LIE to the southbound Cross Island. This configuration is designed to provide safer and more efficient traffic flow. Twelve acres of Alley Pond Park will be restored andor reintegrated via the elimination of two 40-year-old highway loop ramps, which divided the park into segments. Extensive environmental improvements, including landscaping and reforestation, to Alley Pond Park. "This plan will reduce congestion and improve safety for motorists who rely on the Long Island Expressway in Queens and Nassau County, while also making dramatic improvements to Alley Pond Park for the local community," Pataki said.

Giuliani said the full environmental restoration of Alley Pond and the surrounding trails will greatly improve the appearance and usability of the park. The changes announced yesterday, which included the elimination of HOV lanes on the LIE west of the Nassau border, had long been sought by State Sen. Frank Padavan Padavan applauded Pataki "for recognizing that we could save Little Neck homes, preserve Alley Pond Park and also ease LIE and Cross Island Parkway connections through one coherent design." Jon Orcutt, associate director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a transit and traffic watchdog group, called the agreement "a pretty good compromise plan that keeps the footprint of the highway from being wider, so that it doesn't go into people's front yards." NEWS smi ataiatt population count oomfi "Don't you think it's the personal questions that make people afraid to respond?" he asked Prewitt. "Absolutely," Prewitt responded. "We don't ask about beliefs and attitudes.

We ask about conditions. If we ask how many people live in a housing unit only with cold water, that tells us something about public health conditions." Medina Perry, a sixth-grader at PS 80, was excited to hear that Prewitt brought them greetings from school children he recently visited in San Francisco. "They wanted him to tell us they are there and that they count, too," she said. For information on Census 2000, see the Web site (www.census.gov) or call (212) 620-7702. For information about census jobs in your area, call (888) 325-7733.

NEWS oinni first New York-area stop on the Census 2000 Road Tour. The traveling campaign is designed to spark interest in the census, boost participation and smash some of the myths that stop people from filling out the form. During the next two months, 2,000 motor-home type vehicles equipped with portable exhibits, multilingual fact sheets and videos will crisscross the country to get the message out. One key way to accomplish that goal, Prewitt said, is to involve children. "They are our best ambassadors," he said.

Through a series of activities, lesson plans and homework assignments, New York City's school children are learning about the history of the census and its importance for the future. FAX (718) 793-2910 By USA L. COLANGELO DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Kenneth Prewitt, director of the Census Bureau, went to Public School 80 in Jamaica yesterday and gave the students a quick lesson in math. What happens if there are 200 students in a school but only 180 are counted? Prewitt answered his own question, saying: "That means 180 textbooks, 180 chairs even if there are 200 students." Lack of seats and materials isn't anything new for students in New York City's overcrowded school system. An accurate census count, however, will give them a better chance of receiving more tax dollars and resources for their schools in the future.

Prewitt and a busload of census workers made PS 80 their BUREAU (718) 793-3328 If the population of New York is undercounted in the census, the state may lose two members of Congress, millions in federal funds and untold amounts of political clout. Teachers in School District 28, in south-central Queens, were the first in the city to receive a special curriculum based on the census. Yesterday, student leaders from around the district gathered at PS 80 to quiz Prewitt about the importance of his job. What was it like to kick off the census in Alaska? (Cold and fun.) Are homeless people counted? (Yes.) Do you have to include your Social Security number on the census form? (No.) Jonathan Gartrelle, a student leader from PS 160 in Jamaica, asked why the census includes what he called "silly questions," such as whether there is hot and cold water in a home. HOME DELIVERY 1 800 692.