Mayor Kawahna Persinger led tonight's Iron Gate Council Meeting, discussing many issues facing the town, including the dead-ending of 8th Street.

Following New Request from Kayser Memorial Presbyterian Church, Iron Gate Council Votes to Dead-End 8th Street By Jennifer Bailey Staff Writer   Iron Gate, VA (Aug. 27, 2026)— On Thursday, August 27, the Iron Gate Town Council met for its regular monthly meeting to discuss many important issues facing the town. Among those issues was the long-debated dead-ending of 8th Street; a discussion which was first brought to council in May of this year following a letter from resident—and public works employee—Richard Neal. Initially, Neal's request was to abandon 8th Street, but he later requested to dead-end it. After months of discussion and a new request by Kayser Memorial Presbyterian Church, the decision was made this evening to dead-end 8th Street. Richard Neal's initial proposal to dead-end the street quickly became a contentious topic in Iron Gate, sparking heated debates during June and July's sessions. Several residents participated—some in person and some via letter—sharing their concerns on the potential closure, while others voiced their support. A particularly vocal opponent argued that the closure seemed to benefit only one individual. During last month's meeting, as previously reported, Mayor Kawahna Persinger made three requests to council to make a motion to dead-end 8th Street. "...I had asked three times, and then that motion was considered dead," Persinger noted this evening. However, a new request to dead-end 8th Street was recently submitted by Kayser Memorial Presbyterian Church, who cited "safety issues" as their primary concern. "Now, this is the church that's asking for it just to be dead ended," said Persinger. "Not for the street to be divided, not for anything. They've got church members that come there, and they back out, and apparently, they've almost been hit a couple times while they're backing out of church functions." As for Richard Neal, the gentleman who was instrumental in the initial proposal, the Journal recently learned he has since submitted his letter of resignation to council. Tonight, after Persinger read the letter, council voted to approve Neal's request. When it comes to 8th Street, council had a brief discussion before Councilwoman Jennifer Tyree made the motion to dead-end it, which was seconded by Councilwoman Pat Shiflett. Councilwoman Tyree, Councilman Chris Mayo, and Councilwoman Shiflett all voted yes to dead-end 8th Street, with Councilwoman Norvella Burrell voting no. Therefore, the decision to dead-end 8th Street has been finalized. (L to R) Councilwoman Jennifer Tyree, Councilman Chris Mayo, Mayor Kawahna Persinger, Councilwoman Norvella Burrell, and Councilwoman Pat Shiflett. Teen Tuesday member and local youth group leader, Jordan Bailey, provided the evening's invocation.

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