The simple timeline above does not tell the full story. When we purchased the property for the ALL campus, we assumed preparing it for occupancy would be relatively straightforward. Instead, the road to a Certificate of Occupancy became a long, difficult, and expensive process.

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Early on, the city informed us that the project would be treated as commercial construction, requiring compliance with commercial standards for fire safety, ADA accessibility, traffic, and parking. We also learned that Gilbert enforces a zero-square-foot fire safety rule, meaning all structures on the property required sprinklers.

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We wanted the campus to be safe for the children, but we had no idea how complex and costly it would be to bring water from the street main into each of the relatively small buildings on the property. Although we broke ground in late 2024, serious progress was delayed until late March 2025 because of underground water-line complications, including old asbestos concrete pipe.

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Over the nearly two-year project, we completed roof repair; replaced one septic tank and repaired another; painted all three buildings, with paint and some labor generously donated by Home Depot; removed six old sheds; preserved and relocated one shed near the carport; installed a secure fence around the property; converted the farmhouse garage into Lauren’s office, where Paul also added a second window; removed hundreds of feet of steel horse fencing and the concrete footings beneath it; remodeled the farmhouse bathroom for ADA compliance; leveled the farmhouse living room floor; created an archway from the kitchen to the living area; removed closet doors and converted bedrooms into classrooms; installed a concrete ADA ramp at the farmhouse and a pre-manufactured aluminum ramp at the modular building; converted one modular bathroom for ADA use; added ADA thresholds, door locks, and a handicap sink; installed a beautiful garden area by Alex; and trimmed or removed several trees.

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The city also required landscaping in addition to fire safety, traffic, and parking compliance. The landscaping cost approximately $100,000, which was raised through generous donations by our sister organization, the Autism Learning Foundation.

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The most difficult part of the project was the underground fire sprinkler system. This required four connections to the water main on Elliott and trenching under or around existing utility lines, with about four separate Blue Stake marking episodes. Because the main line was old asbestos concrete pipe, it could not simply be tapped; sections had to be cut out and replaced with ductile iron pipe. This was done three times, with one section containing two valves, and the work had to be completed in the middle of the night to reduce the impact on neighbors from shutting off their water.

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Three underground lines were routed to the buildings, and a fourth supplied our own yellow fire hydrant at the main gate. Each structure also required a riser room—essentially a small framed room with drywall, paint, and electrical work. Blucor Construction handled the underground work, including the splicing and line installation to the buildings and hydrant. Albert and his team installed sprinklers in all three buildings and the carports, and placed the FDCs within city fire department distance requirements. Final painting included the riser rooms, roofing, and exposed sprinkler piping in the modular building. Late in the project, we were informed that each of the three lines also needed backflow preventers, which were installed within a few days and certified by Albert. Blucor’s concrete contractors also completed multiple concrete pours, widened the driveway at the main gate, and created water retention basins in the front and back of the farmhouse.

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We received a temporary Certificate of Occupancy in April 2025, with landscaping still incomplete. The city required approximately 33 additional trees, more than 100 shrubs, and extensive ground cover, including roughly 100 tons of gravel. Landscaping also involved solving flood irrigation challenges in the front grassy area, where the required water retention basins initially created two small lakes. Our landscaper, Mark, successfully designed sprinkler lines for the areas that could not be flood irrigated.

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We were also blessed with significant volunteer support from Home Depot, young men and leaders from a nearby LDS ward, Just Serve volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and missionaries from the same Church.

These pictures give at least some idea of the many projects required to transform the property into the beautiful campus it is today.

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