I've got about 35k in a debt consolidation loan (~10% interest rate).

@Martin ZavalaI'm super allergic to closing costs that's why I'm hesitant to mortgage my 4 but maybe there's a way to consolidate transaction costs?

I’ve thought about consolidating but I just don’t know much about it.

Should I cut my losses and start over or is refinancing and consolidating this a better way out?

Another issue is that the schools in the area may be forced to consolidate in the next decade or so, resulting in more of the population base/support leaving the town.Thoughts on this deal, and/or on investing in declining rural areas in general? 

Of course the effects of oil company consolidation and the economic fallout of the virus may have a bigger effect than an increase in military in the area...

I was a Log Supplier here in Oregon for about a decade the market moves constantly.. and there has been a ton of consolidation in the industry along with closing of some mills.  

I plan to keep buying when I can to ultimately sell everything and consolidate into multi family or at least a central location.

But yes, the suggested structure might consolidate your tax returns into one. 

The way I have seen it organized is a partnership that is actually the project, and then a QOZ partnership that invests in the project - this helps consolidate all the QOZ investors, and thus your reporting obligations and disclosure obligations are more streamlined.