Seeking contractor for tricky hallway gate job

My building is seeking a contractor who can help us with a tricky job. We have a steep staircase descending to our basement (where we have storage, laundry, etc.). The metal gate at the top of the stairs is very difficult, sometimes dangerous, to open when ascending, so we’d like to find a solution that allows the person coming up to open the gate easily (with a pull cord, lever, or something similar), and that will allow the gate to close itself quietly afterwards. In addition, we might want to add a nice wooden front to the gate if possible to make it look a little nicer. (We’d also be open to replacing the gate entirely.) Anyone know a jack-of-all-trades who might be able to help us with this small but tricky job?