Venue changed for VPA privatization hearing

   The location for next Thursday’s public hearing in Norfolk to gather input from stakeholders on private sector proposals to manage the Port of Virginia has changed.
   The new location is the theater inside Nauticus, at 1 Waterside Drive in downtown Norfolk. The hearing is from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
   This summer three private entities – APM Terminals, investment firm Carlyle Group, and Deutsche Bank’s RREEF unit – submitted bids to take over port operations from Virginia International Terminals, the non-profit arm of the Virginia Port Authority.
   Representatives from the Office of Transportation Public-Private Partnerships and the three private entities will provide presentations before the hearing is opened for public comment.
   The VPA board, which was overhauled in a surprise move by Gov. McDonnell a year ago, has spent the past 12 months conducting an independent review of the port’s operations, financial condition, infrastructure, marketing and economic development efforts as it looks for ways to make the facility more competitive as the maritime industry migrates to bigger ships that make fewer port calls.