It has been almost a year since Premier Lara Giddings announced $950,000 would be used by community development pioneer Ernesto Sirolli to revitalise the towns of Scottsdale, George Town and Smithton.

Dr Sirolli said that work was now under way following the appointment of three ``enterprise facilitators'' - Lesley Kirby, for the Huon Valley, Louise Clark, for Smithton, and Victoria Pullen, for George Town and Scottsdale.

``They are all local residents with business backgrounds and impeccable credentials,'' Dr Sirolli said.

``Their training was conducted in their communities, by me, during a week-long training event that included a number of members of their management boards and resource teams.''

Dr Sirolli, who has since returned to the US, said the trio would be mentored remotely by Linda McCowan as they helped residents start up ventures.

So far, a volunteer project management team for each region has received $198,000 from the government, with another $100,000 due to be paid by June 30.

Of that, the Sirolli Institute receives $300,000 with the remainder used to cover the wages and expenses of the enterprise facilitators for up to two years.

Another $73,220 went to the Tasmanian Council of Social Services to help set up the project, of which $60,000 was paid to the Sirolli Institute.

The remaining $12,780 will be used to independently evaluate the project's success upon completion.

Dorset Mayor Barry Jarvis said some people had been frustrated with the length of time it had taken for work to start after initial public meetings were held.

``The enthusiasm that [Dr] Sirolli created meant there were a lot of people looking for ways to be involved, but a lot of those people have now physically left the region. So to recapture that enthusiasm may be a job in itself,'' Cr Jarvis said.