Short answer

Yes. Civic.ly doesn't have a dedicated bench-dedication module, but the standard tools cover it well. Add each bench as an asset with your reference number in the asset name. Then, for each dedication, create a Job on that bench: put the holder's name in the title, set the due date to the date the dedication expires, and assign it to whoever handles renewals. The job comes up in your task list when the renewal is due. Any bench with no open dedication job is a free one.

Detail

1. Get the benches on the map. Photograph each bench on your phone and upload it as an asset. The photo's location places it on the map. Then nudge each pin onto the bench using the satellite view on the web app.

2. Put your reference number in the asset name, for example Memorial Bench 014. The asset name becomes the title of every task on that bench, so the reference follows the bench everywhere.

3. Keep the asset record to what doesn't change. The bench itself is permanent. The dedication changes hands, so don't put the holder's details on the asset.

4. One Job per dedication. Create a Job on the bench. The title is pre-filled with the asset name, so add the holder after it (Memorial Bench 014 - A. Holder). Record the person who arranged the dedication, not the person named on the plaque. Set the due date to the expiry and assign it to yourself.

5. See what's coming up. Filter the Jobs list to your name and sort by due date. That list is your renewals register.

6. Find the free benches. Filter the assets list to your benches and look at each one's tasks. A bench with no open dedication job has no current holder.

Over time each bench's task history holds every dedication it has had, alongside any defects and inspections.

Watch-outs

  • Check for duplicates before you survey. If some benches are already on the register, rename those rather than photographing them again.
  • Test your phone first. Take one test photo and upload it before a full survey. If the location permission is off, none of the photos will map. See I've uploaded photos but they're not showing up on the map / their location isn't being detected — how do I fix it?.
  • Inspect them too. The Annual Seating Check covers the Memorial Bench asset type, so you can schedule condition inspections on the same records.
  • It's a workaround. There's no price field, no renewal letters, and no way for the public to apply for a bench. If that matters to you, add or upvote it at ideas.civic.ly.