ST. PAUL — The city of St. Paul will pay $1.7 million for design work on a new ballpark for the minor league Saints baseball team.

St. Paul has signed the first of two contracts with Ryan Cos. During this phase, Ryan will come up with a detailed construction budget and blueprints for the ballpark.

Ryan also will manage construction in St. Paul’s Lowertown, but that part of the agreement has not been finalized yet.

Minnesota Public Radio News reported Ryan will receive nearly $3.5 million for its work. The total budget for the project is $54 million. About half of the money will come from the state. The city and the team will cover the rest.

Demolition begins in June.

The ballpark is scheduled to open in 2015.