So when we had a re inspection done, it turned out they only did half the repairs and the ones they did were “temporary.”

In general smaller towns could be a bit riskier for an MTR as a there are not as many employers for temporary workers but sounds like your are has a some solid demand with the University and Hospitals and not too much competition! 

1st, good tenant, didn't want to ditch but only option for me was either evict (at Christmas) or figure out temporary lodging.

@Sailin Li I am in the Gig Harbor, WA area and the city council has passed a temporary ban (trying to make it permanent) against STR.

Yes, these savings were temporary but nevertheless valuable.

To expand on what @Michael Plaks stated - yes you most likely can do a 1031, the next question is you should be asking if you should do a 1031.It isn't free to do a 1031 - you don't want to spend $2k in fees to have a temporary deferral of what would have been $4k of tax. 

Contractors (welders, pipefitters, boilermakers etc) that come here to work temporary jobs at the refinery are the people that rent my STRs.

They might have protocols for such scenarios or could offer a temporary solution until you gain access to the property. 

Shelters are temporary.

Although this trend may be temporary, substantial pricing discounts could attract more corporate investment into the sector.A notable example is CoStar's acquisition of Central Place Tower in Arlington, Virginia.