Remove the nut covers.....remove the nuts.....with nuts removed, wiggle the wiper arms back and forth, kinda like you are trying to manually wipe the windshield. The wiper arms will eventually free themselves from the wiper mechanism.
No need to mark the location of the arms in relation to the rotating mechanism since there is only one way the arms install.
The cowl brace is easy to remove and makes replacing the pcv valve a breeze.
With the cowl brace removed.....this would be a good time to replace the inner (steering) tie rod bushings. I have replaced these bushings on many of these and similar (LHS/Intrepid) cars......the bushings are dirt-cheap to purchase and are simple to install with that cowl brace removed (plus it really improves the steering feel).