Groundbreaking took place Monday for Doctors Hospital of Manteca’s two-story, 40,000-square-foot medical office building.

Actually, the ceremonious turning-of-the-shovel event consisted of a “sand box,” as described by Gary Bruno of G.L. Bruno & Associates, rather than the actual ground covering on the two-acre parcel located on Cottage Court adjacent to Doctors Hospital due to California Construction Lien Laws.

“This project is for the community,” he said. “Think of (GLB) as part of that community.”

Bruno is the owner and creator of the Fresno-based GLB, which was founded in 1978 and is one of the leaders in the development of medical complex facilities throughout California and the Western U.S.

The two-story Manteca Medical Office Building, a $13.3 million investment, is listed as Class “A” medical space. Once completed, it will provide top-of-the-line medical care for Manteca, Lathrop, Ripon, and Tracy.

The estimated completion date is August 2020.

“I’m excited for the future,” said Doctors Hospital of Manteca’s Chief Strategy Officer Preston Clark, who noted that this project was five years in the making.

He added that the new building will also help provide additional services for community members while keeping them close to home for care.

The medical office building is the latest investment Tenet Healthcare is making in Manteca for facilities and equipment providing state-of-the-art patient care to serve the growing South County region.

In addition, the new facility will provide ample parking not to mention great street visibility and easy access from Highway 99.

The ground-breaking ceremony also included Manteca Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Joann Beattie, Melissa Santos from the Office of Congressman Josh Harder, Jason Laughlin from the Office of state Assemblyman Heath Flora, San Joaquin County Board of Supervisor Bob Elliott, and Manteca City Manager Tim Ogden, to name a few.