KFC Potholes to Stay, Chattanooga Turns Down PETA Offer to Double Funds

Two days after KFC awarded Chattanooga a $3,000 grant to repair 500 potholes in the city, PETA offers to double that amount.

Chattanooga started repairing potholes Wednesday after agreeing to stencil "Re-Freshed by KFC" in non-permanent street chalk on several of the pavement repairs. Now, PETA wants to give Chattanooga $6,000 for the right to place advertisements on top of repaired potholes.

PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman made the offer in a letter sent to Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield. In exchange for PETA's money, Chattanooga would have to return funds to KFC. Reiman also asked that "Kentucky Fried Cruelty" artwork be placed over all the newly patched potholes. "Chattanooga streets may have suffered winter damage, but it's nothing compared to what chickens endure on the way to KFC's buckets and boxes," says Reiman.

Chattanooga turned down the request. Richard Beeland, the city's Media Relations Director released the following statement: "We are not going to place ourselves into the middle of an argument between PETA and the KFC Corporation. The City of Chattanooga receives donations from a variety of sources and is grateful for all of them, including that of KFC. While we appreciate PETA's dedication and passion towards their mission, it would be inappropriate to accept their offer with the awkward requirement that would effectively use the City of Chattanooga to malign a particular corporation."

KFC recently launched a corporate infrastructure renewal sponsorship campaign, selecting four cities to award funds to for pothole repairs. Along with Chattanooga, KFC offered to fund pothole repairs in Warren, Ohio, Louisville, Kentucky, and Topeka, Kansas.