A group of Cal Poly students is helping to bring Dan De Vaul’s Sunny Acres property up to code.

Students in an engineering project management class set to work Tuesday cleaning up the sober living ranch on the outskirts of San Luis Obispo. The students also hope to get the funding and permits needed to bring several agricultural barns up to code during the quarter-long project that will last until mid-June, said Roya Javadpour, Cal Poly industrial and manufacturing engineering instructor.

“We are focusing on turning the ranch into something that will be a source of pride for the community and a resource for those who need help,” she said. “We are taking it one step at a time.”

For years, De Vaul has battled the county over various code enforcement issues at the sober living ranch, which as of last month had about 13 residents.

Recently, a San Luis Obispo Superior Court judge put the ranch into receivership to bring it into compliance with health and safety codes.