The Shadow
IRON GATE, Va. (VR) – The Iron Gate Town Council met in regular session on Thursday, Sept. 25.
Councilmember Neil Hardesty turned in his resignation from the council, which was read by Vice Mayor Brandon Marshall. It read as follows: “On this date, August 25, 2025, I, Neil Hardesty, resign my seat on the Town Council of Iron Gate, Virginia, due to personal reasons.“
Mayor Kawahna stated, “I think we all know what the personal reasons are,” referring to the sudden death of Hardesty’s wife in a car accident.
The council was happy in turn to welcome New Town Clerk Megan Clinebell. Clinebell replaced Ashley Prior, who left in July for health reasons.
The council was given a presentation by Heather Krauss. Krauss is the right-of-way manager for Mastec, who represents Dominion Energy. The project introduced by Krauss puts the lines running underground to prevent trees from falling and causing outages. Several landowners would have to cooperate to bring the project into reality. Bringing the presentation to the council was the first step in moving the project forward.
The mayor also announced that a new public works employee named Ernie Schinault has been hired. According to the Mayor, Schinault previously lived in Iron Gate.
The Iron Gate work session is scheduled for Oct. 20 at 7 p.m., and the town council meeting is set for Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.
