| Draft Environmental Impact Statement Shorts School Road Am Antenna Structures 47 antennas would be plainly visible as well. Background views of the Snohomish foothills would remain the same. The Preferred Alternative would not detract from the open view of the Snohomish River Valley, and so the vividness level would remain in the medium range. The scale and markings of the 349-foot antenna and, to a lesser extent, the unmarked 199-foot antennas would be obvious and add to the existing visual encroachment by foreground elements in the view such as the telephone poles, farm equipment, and fencing. As a result, the intactness level would decrease. Likewise, the close proximity and large scale of the tallest antenna would diminish the existing level of unity in this view. Lighting In the evening, the two blinking, red hazard warning lights at the apex of the tallest antenna and the three smaller marker lights at the mid-point of the antenna would be visible in the middleground from Viewpoint 4. However, because the red lights would be vertically shielded to reduce the visibility from the ground, the visual impact of the lighting would be diminished. Final Adjusted Visual Quality Rating: 0.1 (down from 3.9) Viewpoint 5 Views of neighborhood houses and evergreen and flowering trees would remain visible in the foreground under the Preferred Alternative. In the middleground, the agricultural fields on the valley floor, along with a partial view of the 349-foot antenna seen rising up from behind a tree in the foreground, would be visible in the middleground. The tall antenna is seen at a distance of 1.08 miles. The seven 199-foot antennas would not be visible from Viewpoint 5. Background views of Fiddler�s Bluff against the skyline with the City of Everett in the distance would remain constant. The partial view of the antenna would not detract from memorable middleground views of the Snohomish River Valley or views of the trees in the foreground. As a result, the vividness level would remain in the high range. Because the one visible antenna is mostly screened by foreground trees, the existing intactness and unity levels would not be disrupted by the Preferred Alternative. Lighting In the evening, the two blinking, red hazard warning lights at the apex of the tallest antenna and the three smaller marker lights at the mid-point of the antenna would be visible in the middleground from Viewpoint 5. Because of the approximate 350-foot elevation of the viewpoint, the blinking lights on the 349-foot antenna would be close to eye level and could cause a visual distraction. However, the distance (1.08 mile) from the antenna and the screening from mature trees in the foreground and middleground would lessen the visual impact of the lighting in general. Final Adjusted Visual Quality Rating: 5.3 (down from 6.3) |