Senior advisory board reviews furniture and finish options for Branch Connections renovation

Members of the Farmers Branch Senior Advisory Board reviewed furniture and interior finish options for the city’s Branch Connections renovation during a board meeting. Staff presented two concept packages from the vendor CMGL showing chair styles, stackability, blue sound panels, LVT flooring and hospitality bar finishes and asked the board to indicate preferences.

Board discussion centered on durability and cleanability as priorities for chairs that will be stacked and used in the ballroom and lobby. Staff said some styles come with arms, others with a hard back intended to last longer under frequent stacking; staff also highlighted that the proposed sound panels and selected finishes are wipeable for cleaning during public use.

Board members and attendees examined sample images and layouts that the vendor’s software generated from the project’s floor plans and finishes list. Staff said the vendor recommended two concept directions and that the options were intended as a “jump starter” rather than final selections. Members asked for additional color choices that would better match ballroom seating and for clarity about which chair models include arms or hard backs.

Action and next steps: staff will ask the vendor for additional color swatches outside the current two concept lines, circulate paper selection sheets for board members to mark preferences, and return the collated responses to the advisory board at a future meeting before finalizing the chair order. Staff noted lead times for furniture and that final ordering will consider stacking, accessibility and the facility’s expected occupancy needs.