CAMP CARROLL, South Korea — The lodge here has been named best small facility in the Army.

Officials said Monday the facility won the 2003 Lodging Operation of the Year for billeting areas with 49 rooms or less. The awards are given by the U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center.

“When we took over the building, there were no amenities. The furnishings were old. It was a real dump,” said Carl B. Ragonese, Installation Management Agency regional manager in charge of the lodge. “A lot of work went into not only getting it up to Army Lodging standards but beyond.”

Army Lodging has run the 16-room lodge for just two years, officials said. During that time, physical improvements were made and a new staff was hired and trained.

The lodge will receive a $2,500 bonus for the award and each of its four full-time staff members will receive $100 personal awards, officials said.

The two-tiered awards process includes written nominations and on-site inspections, with rooms judged on 400 different standards.

There are no runner-ups in the competition, officials said.

“I’m real proud of the staff at Carroll. They have come a long way in a short period of time,” Ragonese said. “For us, this is the Super Bowl. Camp Carroll Lodging really is the mouse that roared.”

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