Last modified: Thursday, May 24, 2007 1:31 AM EDT Mayor Kevin Dumas and Gov. Deval Patrick walk to Attleboro City Hall Wednesday. (Staff photo by MARTIN GAVIN) Bridgewater State eyes center in Attleboro BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF ATTLEBORO - The president of Bridgewater State College said Wednesday that his school intends to create an education center in Attleboro along with Bristol Community College. College President Dana Mohler-Faria said Attleboro does not have easy access to higher education, and a joint venture between the two schools would provide that. Bristol Community College President Jack Sbrega, however, cautioned that the idea is just in the planning phase and nothing is official yet. State Rep. John Lepper, R-Attleboro, also said the education center will take a lot of money and Attleboro is in competition with cities like Fall River, New Bedford and Taunton for more higher education services. The comments came at a cabinet meeting held by Gov. Deval Patrick at Attleboro City Hall. Mohler-Faria excited the city officials in attendance when he made his announcement. "To bring the college down here is something we have been working on and looking forward to," said Michael Milanoski, executive director of the Attleboro Redevelopment Authority. The city has been trying for about 10 years to get a state college to locate in Attleboro. Bristol Community College has been conducting classes in the former Attleboro High School building on County Street, but city officials want it to expand. A building on the former Texas Instruments grounds, now known as the Attleboro Corporate Campus, has been purchased as a new home for Bristol Community College, but it needs $3 million in renovations. No source of state funding for the renovations has been found yet. The idea has been for Bristol Community to occupy the first floor of the building and offer two-year associate degrees. Students could then move up to the second floor to work on a bachelor's degree with Bridgewater State.