The groundbreaking on a $52 million acute care hospital to be built on the corner of Harris Road and North Main Street means progress for Muskogee, officials say.

Muskogee County Commissioner Gene Wallace called it an historic occasion that will bring economic stimulation for well paying jobs.

Twenty-five physicians are investors in the project that was the brain child of Muskogee heart surgeon Dr. Tim Robison and his former college roommate, Bartlesville businessman Mark Roberts.

“We have all shared the thought that Muskogee should be a regional shopping hub, a regional provider of higher education and the regional provider of health care,” Wallace said.

Roberts was given the task four years ago to bring the project to reality. He told onlookers it seemed simple at the time.

He said he learned quickly that investors were not just a bunch of maverick doctors who wanted to make more money.

“That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Roberts said. “It was their contagious passion to make a difference in healthcare and people’s lives that gave me the strength to get this deal done.”

Roberts was running a successful auto dealership when approached about the project.

“But in the scheme of things, all I did was get my name on the back of about 30,000 cars,” he said. “If God has put us here to make a difference along the way, was that it? No, probably not.”

Roberts got out of the car business and took over the job of getting financing and moving the project forward.

“Mark was the force that caused us to persevere on this project. He refused to quit — and believe me, there were some pretty rough times when it seemed some, if not all of us, were ready to quit,” said attorney J. Christian Guzzy, a tax credit financing specialist.

“Four surgeries and seven pints of blood ago, I started working on this damn project,” Roberts said.

Friday, he cried a little and laughed a lot as he recalled what it took for the project to come to fruition.

SpiritBank Chairman of the Board Tracy Kelley, who provided financing for the project, said the cohesiveness and attitude of the 25 physician investors in staying together impressed him. Robison’s and Roberts’ tenacity cinched the deal, he said.

Muskogee attorney Ron Wright hosted Friday’s event. Robison said Wright, his attorney and friend, told him earlier: “I just want to thank you guys for letting me be an attorney building something instead of tearing it down.”