Yellowknife (May 02/05) - A string of accidents at the newly-opened Inuvik Family Centre has resulted in some extra safety measures for the pool.

"It's a new facility," said Mayor Peter Clarkson.

Since the $9-million extension to the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex was opened April 2, an ambulance was called to pick up a man with a broken leg; one child suffered scrapes and bruises after slipping in the change room; another slipped and fell around the pool.

Clarkson said a new, less-slippery floor surface was poured at a cost of $11,000 to curb the slipping problems.

"Every stitch of floor that's not tile will be done," said Veronica Rogers, custodian.

Staff will also be watching to ensure that no one uses the water slide until a visual check of the water levels has been completed, Clarkson said.

The man who broke his leg descended the slide not realizing the water basin was only half-full. One of the emergency shutoff valves had been tripped, draining some of the water.

Complaints about the steam room being dangerously hot have also been addressed, said Clarkson.

"The steamer is set on a timer that runs 10 minutes on, 10 minutes off," he said. "It somehow got tripped and was running all the time, but that has been fixed now."