| Draft Environmental Impact Statement Shorts School Road Am Antenna Structures 56 pm, which would make it unlikely for the proposed project lighting to impact golf course visitors. Final Adjusted Visual Quality Rating: 5.1 (down from 6.4) Viewpoint 19 Under the Preferred Alternative, the eight antennas would be visible in the middleground within the context of the Snohomish River Valley at a distance of 0.55 miles. Views of agricultural fields, farms, houses, trees and the Snohomish River would remain dominant in the middleground. The Cities of Snohomish and Everett and the Puget Sound would also remain visible in the background. The panoramic views of the Snohomish River Valley would remain memorable under the Preferred Alternative. The eight antennas would encroach somewhat on the view. However, the panoramic nature of the view and the fact that the viewers would be moving, make it unlikely that the antennas would be perceived as dominant elements in the landscape. As a result, the intactness level would remain high. Likewise, the panoramic nature of the view would also reduce the amount of disruption by the proposed project to the existing coherent visual pattern, and the unity level would remain high. 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 19. Because the blinking hazard lights and the three smaller marker lights are designed to be seen from the air, they would likely create a visual distraction to recreational balloonists overhead. However, because the balloon companies generally operate between dusk and dawn, it is unlikely that the proposed project lighting would severely impact their customers, and the red lighting is a safety benefit to the balloon operators. Final Adjusted Visual Quality Rating: 6.4 (down from 7.0) 3.1.6 Alternative 2 Viewpoint 1 The visual impacts under Alternative II would be similar to those under the Preferred Alternative from Viewpoint 1 (Figure A.1). Although, because in Alternative II the number of antennas would be reduced, the vividness, intactness, and unity ratings would be slightly better than those ratings under the Preferred Alternative. Lighting impacts from the 349-foot antenna would not differ between alternatives. Final Adjusted Visual Quality Rating: 3.8 (down from 4.3) Viewpoint 2 The visual impacts under Alternative II would be similar to those under the Preferred Alternative from Viewpoint 2 (Figure A.2). Although, because in Alternative II the number of antennas would be reduced, the vividness, intactness, and unity ratings would be slightly better than those |