AUBURN — The Androscoggin County Jail’s weeks of heavy, clammy air may soon be over.

On Monday, a crane hoisted a new cooling unit onto the roof of the jail and workers began installing the needed device. Jail Administrator John Lebel hoped the contraption would be operating by Tuesday.

“Our prime concern is the staff,” Lebel said as he walked around the jail’s gravel-covered roof. “We want to restore a normal working environment.”

The work is part of ongoing investments in the jail building totaling nearly $220,000.

The cooling work — in which a new air compressor and related equipment is being installed — is likely to cost about $100,000. It is being financed over three years.

At the end of this month, a team plans to begin cleaning the maze of ducts that feed the three-story cinder block building. The work is needed to ensure proper air quality and safety, Lebel said. It is estimated to cost about $40,000.

And, finally, in September the jail roof is slated to be replaced at a price of roughly $80,000.

While on the roof Monday, Lebel pointed out the worn and curling shingles, particularly on the south side of the building. In some spots, whole layers of shingles were missing.

Fixes to the roof and duct cleaning had been planned, but were delayed as budgets were squeezed. However, all three projects were recently cleared by both county commissioners and the state Board of Corrections.

Sheriff Guy Desjardins, who has been critical of state cuts in the jail budget, said Maine’s jail network worked.

“I have to give the Board of Corrections credit,” Desjardins said. “They came through for us.”

People throughout the jail will soon breathe easier.

“It’s just been really uncomfortable,” Chief Deputy Nelson Peters said.

Though it hasn’t been particularly hot, the air has been humid.

Guards and other jail staff have been drenched with sweat after working a normal busy day. Desjardins relaxed dress rules to allow corrections staff to wear department polo shirts instead of the button-down blue uniform shirts.

On a warm day last month, the air seemed heavy and stagnant. Furniture felt sticky, and the odors drifted between sour and rancid.

On Monday, the air seemed cooler, but just as foul.

Lebel insisted that no one has become sick as a result of the bad air, nor have there been any problems with inmates, who numbered about 145 on Monday.

“It’s not bad today,” he said. “And it’ll get better soon.”

[email protected]