San Diego has a woeful lack of ball fields, and the Senior Softball Association wants to build a softball field, along with an amphitheater, at South Shores in Mission Bay Park – at no cost to the city. The nonprofit presented its plans before the Mission Bay Park Committee on March 3. The committee had rejected the same plan in 2001 and committee member Judy Swink believes the board will turn it down again. “There are an increasing number of people who want open land,” Swink said. “Informal pickup games are okay but what you described sounds like dedicated park land.” The park’s master plan states the park “should be an aquatic-orientated park,” and it calls for open playing areas but not dedicated space for organized ball leagues, like at Robb Field or Pacific Beach Playing Fields. The master plan also proposes placing an amphitheater at South Shores to draw people to the park during non-peak hours. The Senior Softball Association plans to charge fees for weeknight use and to host tournaments to cover its operating costs. The Park and Recreation Department estimates that 10 to 20 new ball fields are needed to accommodate the existing population. The nonprofit will seek feedback from the Coastal Commission before returning to the Mission Bay Park Committee for further discussion. Boom! Bang! Summertime fireworks continue at SeaWorld following a lawsuit, three-year study and the Regional Water Quality Control Board agreeing the fireworks did not contain cadmium, lead, copper or zinc. SeaWorld fires off 250 shells during each summer night’s fireworks show, and then skims the bay’s surface and cleans the sands of any debris following each show, according to SeaWorld spokesperson Patrick Owen. Twice a year, SeaWorld sends divers to the bottom of the bay to search for sunken shells. As part of SeaWorld’s water quality control permit, it will continue water and sediment testing. Mission Bay Park Committee meets the first Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. at Santa Clara Recreation Center at 1008 Santa Clara Place.