Seeking Advice on Resubmitting “Lisa’s Trail Friends Bench” Nomination

Hello everyone,

I’m reaching out for guidance and suggestions regarding a wayspot nomination I submitted for “Lisa’s Trail Friends Bench.” This bench was created in memory of, Grant House, who was a beloved member of our community, known for his kindness, resilience, and inclusivity. Located along Lisa’s Trail, it has a plaque that says it was built to honor Grant, encouraging people to “meet a friend, make a friend, or be a friend”—values that Grant embodied throughout his life.

When I initially submitted this nomination, it was marked as a duplicate of “Lisa’s Trail Meditation Bench,” although they are two distinct benches. During the appeal process, it wasn’t explicitly confirmed that this was not a duplicate, but the rejection response suggested that the bench did not meet the criteria for cultural or historical significance, stating it was “a resting bench without significant cultural or historical value.”

I believe this bench carries cultural significance for our community. Even though he suffered through multiple disabilities throughout his life, Grant House made a positive impact here through his involvement in our local church and his efforts to foster friendship and inclusivity, despite facing personal challenges. His story is familiar to many in the area, and the bench has become a small but meaningful spot where people can reflect on his legacy of kindness. This bench serves as a community tribute, reminding people of the values of connection and positivity.

I want to ensure I’m approaching this in good faith and following Niantic’s guidelines. Since I’ve had two rejections based on different aspects, I’m uncertain about the next steps and don’t want to risk violating any rules around resubmitting.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation with a wayspot that holds special community value but has been difficult to get approved? I’d appreciate any suggestions on how I might better emphasize the bench’s cultural significance or if there’s another way to approach this nomination to help reviewers see its value.

Thank you so much for any insights or advice!

Best,
Bryce



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Welcome to the forum @BryceC88

Is this the Wayspot it was marked duplicate of? Laces for Lisa Meditation bench

Memorial benches must be for someone significant to the community, and you can’t just say that they were, you need to show that they were. I don’t know how to tell you to prove that.

Here is a clarification about benches that may help:

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Hi, @BryceC88

I think Niantic’s answer pretty much said it.

“A person’s significance to the community”: when does the scale tip towards ‘significant enough for a Wayspot’ and when does it not?

When I look at those photos, I notice the sign. I also see that the trail is named, well-established and well-know to the local community. Maybe you could approach it from that angle: this is clearly a marker along the trail which itself has cultural value. You could focus on that instead, and make sure you have plenty of information about the trail itself, AND the memorial plaque (not the bench) in the Description field?

What did your original submission look like?

For those who want to take a look, it seems to be around 40.400651,-86.87848

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Grant was definitely significant to the community. He now has an entire building that was built in his name that is a type of afterschool program for youth with special needs. Here is a link to a website that has more information on that - Grant's House

I am unable to view that hyperlink but that name does match for the bench that is being confused for this bench.

Given that my nomination does fit these criteria am I safe to resubmit the POI including more specific information on why this memorial bench has significant cultural impact?

If, in the end, you can’t sell it as a memorial bench, it looks like a great scenic viewpoint.

I would accept that memorial bench with that extra context fwiw.

(the hyperlink is to an ingress portal. it is just the easiest way for me to make sure i did not make a copying error)

I will say that my original submission probably did lack context explaining its cultural significance. And I would have better explained the cultural significance in my appeal if that would have been the reason it was rejected in the first place. But since it was rejected for being a duplicate and then after appeal rejected for this reason I was unable to do so which is frustrating. I believe I did have a brief section explaining how it was a memorial bench for Grant House but that section does not show up on my contributions page.



The way you submitted this originally doesn’t mention the person the bench honors. Either submit this sign as a trail marker as was previously said, or use a photo framed more like this
image
to submit as a memorial bench to submit it as a memorial bench for Grant House.

Mentioning “pokestop” in the nomination is a waste of the supporting statement. Instead, explain why this bench is an excellent Wayspot and how it meets criteria. If you submit it as a memorial bench, you can include links like the one you shared here that you can’t include in the description.

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Thank you for the advice

btw was it rejected by “our team” or “the community” according to the email? when the community marks something as duplicate, the photo is added to the wayspot. i don’t see that nomination photo on any of the portals i can see, but it could just be that they photo hasn’t synced yet if it was very recent. or it could be a wayspot that isn’t a portal it was marked duplicate of. i can’t see those.

It was rejected by the community on Oct 15th.

Then after appeal rejected by niantic on Oct 16th.

Okay before you submit again, while on site, be sure to turn on the toggle in the nomination map screen to check for hidden Wayspots. It only works over a very short range, and the Wayspots not used in Pokemon Go will show as ! like this:


Since I was unable to confirm which Wayspot this was a duplicate of, you will need to double check that it in fact does not already exist.

Or someone with access to the app for everything in the Lightship database could check for you. I am actually surprised no one has.

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Personally, I didn’t check that because I assumed Niantic would send an appeal response that would correctly identify it as a duplicate if that were the case, rather than suggesting it’s ineligible, but I suppose that assumes a level of competence that isn’t reliably demonstrated.

Here’s what’s in Lightship:


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Okay so since it is in the lighthouse database and has been submitted before does that mean this spot is ineligible to become a wayspot in Pokémon Go for some reason?

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Thank you @NvlblNm ! So this is actually in the database and was correctly marked as a duplicate. So all the conversation about how to get a memorial bench approved was pointless. Sorry for wasting your time @BryceC88

Nvl is always telling me I should use that app if I am going to try to help people. But not being an ambassador or a developer, I don’t. Maybe I need to stop trying to help because so many questions go back to does it already exist in Lightship.

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This part I copy and paste for folks about eligibility to be a Pokestop:

I know the prompt tells you that you are submitting a “Pokestop” but you are actually submitting a Wayspot to the Lightship database, which can only become a Pokestop or gym if it is alone in a level 17 S2 cell. This is a good article about S2 cells and PoGo: https://pokemongohub.net/post/article/comprehensive-guide-s2-cells-pokemon-go/

This is the cell that Laces for Lisa Meditation bench is in

And the cell adjacent to that has Lisa’s fitness trail Station #3 Stairs

I am looking at iitc, which is a map of portals only, not all wayspots. But as you can see, there is already something in each of those L17 cells.

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While I’ve said you’d be even more effective at helping people, I don’t believe I’ve ever said that you should use it if you’re going to help people.

You’ve helped develop the skills of many wayfarers, I think you’re already a developer.

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Just because we aren’t given all the tools doesn’t mean community support isn’t helpful! Even in this instance, the submitter has learned about the nuances of submitting memorial bench’s. And some about scenic viewpoints.

You are quick and knowledgeable. I always appreciate your insight.

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Completely off topic but I’ll be in that area about a month from now. Super excited for my trip and exploring so many new waypoints!